Google Cloud is making a significant play in the retail sector with the launch of new AI and generative AI technologies.

The tech giant has an ambition to revolutionise the retail landscape by offering tools that promise to enhance customer service, streamline product cataloguing, and improve product discovery.

The suite of tools includes a generative AI-powered conversational commerce solution, a customer service modernisation solution, a catalogue and content enrichment solution, and an enhanced search technology for retailers. These tools are designed to provide retailers with a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving digital commerce landscape.

The conversational commerce solution allows retailers to deploy personalised chatbots for online shopping, aiming to create a more engaging and personalised shopping experience. Meanwhile, the customer service modernisation solution is designed to create streamlined experiences, potentially reducing customer churn and increasing customer loyalty.

The catalogue and content enrichment solution aims to simplify and accelerate the product cataloguing process, making it easier for retailers to manage their product offerings. Additionally, Google Cloud's search technology for retailers has been enhanced with a large language model capability to help shoppers more easily find and discover products.

Google Distributed Cloud Edge, a combined edge hardware and software offering, is also part of the package. It aims to help retailers easily deploy, manage, and scale applications and AI innovations across thousands of locations.

According to new research from Google Cloud, 81 percent of American retail decision-makers feel an urgency to adopt generative AI.

"In only a year, generative AI has morphed from a barely recognised concept to one of the fastest-moving capabilities in all of technology and a critical part of many retailers' agendas," said Carrie Tharp, vice president of Strategic Industries, Google Cloud.

Google Cloud's three new generative AI solutions for retailers will be available in the first quarter of 2024. The large language model capability in Vertex AI Search for retail is now available to qualified retailers in public preview, with general availability coming later this year. Google Distributed Cloud Edge for retailers will also be generally available in the first quarter of 2024.