Amazon's New Search Features

Plus new from YouTube, Coke and Salesforce

Author

Jo Lambadjieva
September 19, 2023

Hey there! Happy Tuesday! Another AI-full week is here, below is the best and most interesting in the Ecommerce AI segment. Enjoy.

Why are you reading this?

In this newsletter, I summarize the top AI ecommerce and Amazon developments so you can stay up-to-date in just a few minutes. I do the reading so you don't have to. Consider this your weekly AI ecommerce update to save you time while keeping you informed on what matters most.

TL;DR

  1. Amazon Has New Search Features

  2. YouTube’s AI Ad Optimization Tool

  3. Coke Is Down With The Kids

  4. Salesforce With AI CRM Assistant

Amazon Has New Search Features

Searching with a combination of images and text

Discovering popular products with sales trend information

Amazon is continuing to change how customers find products on their platform. Recent updates include combining visual and text search, so you can add keywords to an image query to refine results.

A new augmented reality feature places 3D models of home goods onto surfaces, so you can visualize tabletop items in your space before buying. Sales trend data now shows an item's recent popularity, like "10K+ bought in the past month."

With AI algorithms enhancing search relevancy, spelling corrections, and related queries, Amazon aims to provide the right suggestions at every stage from query to purchase.

What does this mean for ecommerce sellers?

While each new feature might appear minor individually, collectively, these new tools can shape the way customers look for items and steer more search activity to Amazon. As we’ve written in our previous issues of this newsletter, we sense a wind of change is coming in terms of the customer search journey on Amazon especially in light of how Amazon is starting to integrate AI.

YouTube Rolls Out an AI-Powered Ad Optimization Tool

The video creation tool in Google Ads allows you to add a custom voiceover to any template.

Google Ads has introduced Creative Guidance, a new AI-powered tool to help advertisers optimize their YouTube video ads.

Using artificial intelligence, Creative Guidance evaluates your ad content and suggests improvements for better performance. For example, it can detect if key attributes like brand logo, video length, voice-over, or aspect ratio are missing from your ad. You'll get specific tips on adding these elements as well as links to handy creation tools within Google Ads.

The goal is rapid feedback to ensure your video ads have the right setup and quick optimization to drive results. With the ability to analyze creative attributes and recommend high-impact changes, Creative Guidance aims to empower marketers to take charge of their YouTube ad creative. As online video continues growing, this AI assistant can help you get the most out of your YouTube campaigns.

What does this mean for ecommerce sellers?

The voice-over function is quite cool and in line with what a lot of newly rolled-out AI tools are currently offering. Some of the other features are pretty basic and yet it just shows how much AI will be integrated in the ad platforms going forward.

Coke’s Latest AI Marketing Thing

Coca-Cola has released a new limited-edition flavor called Y3000 that is supposed to taste like the future. The company used artificial intelligence to help develop the flavor profile and packaging design. Y3000 is the latest in Coke's Creations line of experimental flavors aimed at sparking interest among younger consumers.

To create Y3000, Coca-Cola relied on insights about what flavors people associate with the future. Then AI was used to suggest potential flavor pairings. The packaging was also inspired by an AI-generated mood board with a futuristic aesthetic. The aluminum can prominently notes the drink is "Co-Created with AI."

Like other Creations editions, Y3000 will only be sold for a limited time starting this week. It will cost the same as regular Coke. The mystery flavor is designed to mostly taste like the original Coke with some unknown additional flavor notes. Coca-Cola has partnered with brands like Ambush and High Snobiety on Y3000-related merch and online experiences.

While the use of AI is novel, the goal of Y3000 and other limited flavors is driving engagement and excitement for the Coca-Cola brand, especially among younger demographics. The company hopes experimental flavors can keep the iconic soda brand relevant for years to come.

What does this mean for ecommerce sellers?

AI is a tool but also a trend. For Gen-Zers, AI is already front of mind. Just look at our issue in which we discussed how AI influencers are taking over the influencer space.

Salesforce’s New AI Assistant

Salesforce is unveiling Einstein Copilot, a new AI assistant that brings generative capabilities natively into all of its CRM applications. Einstein Copilot leverages multiple AI agents to help automate tasks across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and more based on real-time customer data.

For example, it can auto-generate customized sales emails or create targeted landing pages. Einstein Copilot Studio allows businesses to customize the assistant to their needs and integrate external AI models like GPT-3.5.

Underlying it all is Einstein Trust Layer for security, bias checks, and compliance. As demand grows for AI in business, Salesforce is positioning its Einstein suite and new Copilot to be the go-to AI tools for CRM. Early customers like AAA are onboard. With customization options and security assurances, Einstein Copilot aims to see widespread enterprise adoption as companies seek to boost productivity and customer engagement through AI.

What does this mean for ecommerce sellers?

For any companies using Salesforce already, this would be a valuable addition to supercharge your CRM and get more from your customer data.

The Quick Read:

  • Databricks, specializing in AI-driven data analytics, secured over $500 million in funding, reaching a $43 billion valuation. The company intends to enhance its AI capabilities, having recently launched the AI assistant LakehouseIQ and acquired MosaicML. This funding, with notable contributors like Nvidia and Capital One, underscores its prominent role in the data analytics industry.

  • Adobe has now integrated its AI design tool, Firefly, into multiple platforms including Creative Cloud and Adobe Express. Firefly offers features like Generative Fill and Generative Recolor. Users can access these tools in Creative Cloud or buy 100 Firefly prompts for $4.99/month.

  • Consulting giant EY has invested $1.4 billion in artificial intelligence, introducing its large language model, EY.ai EYQ. The firm plans to train its 400,000 employees on AI. Future investments will refine this model.

  • Action Time: How to combine Excel and AI for keyword research

Today’s Guide:

If you’re feeling a little bit overwhelmed by AI and not completely sure where to start, here is a quick Learn About AI Cheat Sheet that can help you make the first step.

I post about AI in Ecom and Amazon on LinkedIn daily, you can follow all the content here.

The Tools List:

CustomerIQ- CustomerIQ captures every piece of customer feedback around your company, from calls to support tickets, and makes it synthesized and searchable with AI.

AI Score My Site -Find out if your website can be discovered and ranked by AI-powered search engines and what you can do to improve it

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