The shift is being driven by tools that go beyond the recommendation algorithms most shoppers already encounter. According to a new report by Stripe and Thoughtworks, 81 per cent of shoppers in Australia and New Zealand have already used AI to help them shop online. Kathryn Heffernan, Thoughtworks managing director for retail and travel, APAC, said the question for businesses is no longer whether the technology is coming, but how quickly they need to build trust, capability and infrastructure to keep up.
“Most use it for advice rather than buying,” Heffernan said. “Comparing options is tedious: opening tabs, checking fabrics, decoding size charts. An AI assistant can read product descriptions, reviews and size guides in seconds and pull them into one side-by-side summary.”
Heffernan added that when tools are built to serve the shopper rather than push sales, they can help people “buy less but better” by making considered choices rather than impulse ones.
The trend is being showcased this week at Melbourne Fashion Week, where nine designers including Gotham, Perple, Liandra and Wah-Wah Australia are showing collections that reject the “hyper-perfection of AI” in favour of experimentation and individuality.
Gautam Kapoor, founder and designer of Melbourne-based label Gotham, said he uses AI to help code his website and add plugins that track sales and improve site layout, but is not worried about the technology impeding creativity.
“AI usually creates from what has already come before. Designing involves going back and forth with an idea many times, and that push and pull is what creates something original and unique,” Kapoor said. “In fashion, this happens in the toiling process, when prototyping a garment, and I don't believe AI could replicate that.”
Huiliana Chandra-Curry, designer of slow fashion label Perple, said AI has made her “value the importance of the creative journey at a deeper level”.
“Without a doubt, the importance of well-made, intentional garments will continue to command respect and attention,” Chandra-Curry said. “In an era where AI models will homogenise aesthetics, there is an opportunity for originators to find their people.”
Agentic commerce is projected to grow from $5 billion to $47 billion by 2030, according to the report. The technology follows earlier experiments such as Oroton’s augmented reality windows in 2023, where customers could virtually try on bags at the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney and Queen Street Mall in Brisbane.