Walmart’s new trend-sensing design tool uses AI and GenAI to bring on-trend, affordable items to the retailer, faster than ever before – without compromising quality, it said.
Trend-to-Product is a new proprietary tech solution created to support Walmart’s designers and merchants. Trend-to-Product uses AI and generative AI to analyse and synthesise global data and trends, pulling information from the internet to power the Walmart Fashion team in creating on-trend, high-quality items with speed and low prices.
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Detailing its use of Trend-to-Product, Walmart said in the traditional fashion industry, it takes around six months to design and produce a clothing collection because designers are also researchers.
“They scour the world for the coolest of cool, from runways to social media, trend services and beyond, to learn what’s in… It’s a ton of work – and it takes a ton of time. Which Trend-to-Product condenses.”
Walmart said the tool uses generative AI to create those time-consuming mood boards, replete with collection names, colours, textures and ideas. Designers and merchants then refine the mood boards, look at sell-through data and lean on their own experience to create the final pieces that will form the collection.
In the final step, Trend-to-Product generates a fashion tech pack for the collection, which instructs suppliers on exactly how to make each item.
The whole process takes an hour and collections are on shelves and online within six to eight weeks.
“From concept to completion, we’ve shortened the process of launching new clothes by around 18 weeks: people-led, tech-powered.”
“Trend-to-Product empowers our private brand design and product development associates to spend less time chasing trends and more time doing what they love most – creating and delivering high quality, on-trend items for our customers for every season and occasion,” said Jen Jackson Brown, senior vice president for apparel brand and design in Walmart US. “We are excited by the early results of this new technology and the power it could have to transform the way we operate and serve our customers.”
Walmart executive vice president of sourcing, Andrea Albright added: “We recognised the possibilities with customer-facing technology and saw Trend-to-Product as a way to bring the best of AI and GenAI to the first mile. Now, that vision is coming to life. And we’re not stopping with fashion. Imagine a future where Trend-to-Product helps designers create the next great lipstick colour or a new flavour combination that sets the internet on fire. That’s where we’re headed.”
