Puma’s Google Cloud deal will feature raft of AI benefits

Puma has revealed a new deal that will see it deploying Google Cloud’s data, analytics and AI solutions “to make its online retail experience more efficient, agile, and more personalised for customers worldwide”. It said early results have already shown benefits.

We’re told the deal will “pave the way for consumer-facing innovations, ranging from generative AI shopping assistants, to virtual try-ons, to AI-driven loyalty programmes”.

Importantly, over the course of the multiyear agreement, Google Cloud’s AI capabilities will be brought in to all stages of Puma’s direct-to-consumer channels.

It said Vertex AI Search for retail “will bring Google-quality search and recommendations to puma.com’s digital properties, helping shoppers better discover products and deliver personalised shopping recommendations to consumers based on their current interests and trends”.

The deal will impact puma.com’s refreshed global loyalty programme, accelerating rewards transactions and tailoring special offers and promotions to customer preferences.

So what happens next? Puma will move parts of its e-commerce ecosystem, including its webstore, to Google Cloud and build out a global e-commerce data platform. 

It has already been using Google Analytics and BigQuery to better understand and tailor content to customers and said this has driven “significant customer experience improvements, including a 19% increase in average order value”.

And it has been able to access real-time inventory levels up to four times faster, “helping shoppers find the exact products they wish to buy at the nearest possible stores”.

“With Google Cloud’s AI and data capabilities, we have been able to not only gain a far better understanding of our customers, but also translate that insight into frictionless commerce, and more personal shopping experiences both online and offline,” said Pancho Ortuzar, Puma’s Director Global E-Commerce Engineering. “Migrating our e-commerce infrastructure to Google Cloud will greatly accelerate our efforts towards making [our] direct-to-consumer channels a significant driver of overall business growth.”