Westfield's AI-powered Trending store opens to the public

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jul 4, 2019

Westfield London has opened a pop-up store powered by artificial intelligence where visitors can find 100 trending items based on real-time social media data.

The Trending Store is part of a collaboration between the shopping centre and NextAtlas, a data platform that uses algorithms to detect new emerging trends, and will see all proceeds go to the Save The Children charity.

Open until 7 July on the ground floor of the shopping centre, the Trending Store will monitor the social media feeds of some 400,000 early adopters spread across 1,000 cities worldwide to determine the next big trends.

The selection of clothing, footwear and accessories available in store will come from Westfield London’s mix of retailers, which includes both high-end brands such as Burberry, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, as well as more affordable options like Primark and New Look. 

"Online, shoppers are inspired by influencers and used to being guided by AI, with products served to them based on their behaviour. Usually this guidance does not translate to a physical retail space, however, working with data analysts, NextAtlas, we are able to bring our shoppers products that are trending in real time - a true reflection of social conversation brought to life in a physical space,” said Myf Ryan, Westfield chief marketing officer.

Mario Coletti, managing director at NextAtlas added: “This is the first time we’ve used our data in a physical setting and so it’s amazing to see how the platform has come to life at The Trending Store. It’s a pioneering way to demonstrate how AI will be relevant in physical retail for years to come. Our platform monitors trend creators, analysing visual content, hashtags and captions on a daily basis to project the trends of the future.”

Some of the featured trends will include Romantic Heroines with floral dresses voluminous silhouettes; Dystopian Fashionistas, with military style looks; and Design Therapy for health-conscious shoppers.