KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 8): As the year-end 11.11 sale is approaching, e-commerce giant Lazada Malaysia introduced AI Lazzie, an artificial intelligence (AI) shopping assistant to help users navigate, discover and shop on the platform.

The AI assistant is powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which enables users to “chat” and receive tailored product recommendations, deals, and special offers. AI Lazzie also curates recommendations based on users’ wishlists, or past purchases.

Sharmine Ishak, senior communications manager at Lazada Malaysia, said this newly integrated feature will slowly be rolled out to all users.

“AI Lazzie is accessible through the Message+ feature on the Lazada app, and will be fully available to users by the 11.11 sale,” he added.

As part of launching AI Lazzie, users can also take an online personality quiz to get their unique shopping persona, dubbed as “a spirit animal,” including a llama, fennec fox, sloth, and a dolphin. Upon taking the quiz, each spirit animal will reward participants with a limited code, which could be used to redeem a LazCash voucher for their 11.11 purchase through Message+.

Lazada’s app also enhances the shopping experience with AI-powered virtual try-on models.

Users can select virtual models to visualise how different clothing items would fit and look on them.

This feature not only benefits consumers but also streamlines the sales process for sellers, by reducing the need for physical models and costly marketing campaigns.

In October, Lazada released a whitepaper entitled “Artificial intelligence adoption in e-commerce in Southeast Asia”, which showed that 88% of shoppers make purchasing decisions using AI-generated content and product recommendations.

The whitepaper is derived from the research conducted in partnership with Kantar in six Southeast Asian markets, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. It surveyed more than 6,000 e-commerce users between the ages of 18 and 60 in September 2024.

The survey revealed that 63% of Southeast Asians believe AI is widely adopted in online shopping. Consumers recognise AI chatbots (63%), translations (53%), and visual product searches (52%) as key AI features in e-commerce.

However, only one-third of the respondents rated these features as helpful in addressing their needs, highlighting an opportunity for the e-commerce industry to elevate shopping experiences through AI.

Most respondents depend on AI for personalised recommendations and product summaries.

Approximately 52% of participants reported using AI in their personal lives, citing the convenience it offers for shopping, while 51% consider product- and seller reviews to be a key feature they prioritise.

The white paper also revealed that many shoppers are willing to pay more for AI-powered shopping experiences. Nearly 49% of respondents noted that AI enhances product discovery, customer service, and overall enjoyment during online shopping.

In a statement, Lazada said that the gap between the perceived and actual effectiveness of AI features, highlights an opportunity for the e-commerce industry to elevate shopping experiences.

By leveraging AI and data-driven insights to bridge this divide, e-commerce platforms can deliver hyper-personalised and seamless shopping experiences across multiple touchpoints, to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, and open new avenues for growth and engagement.