The longest-operating household appliances and electronics retail network in Lithuania, “Topo centras,” is implementing the biggest changes in its history. They are led by G. Rusteikaitė-Vištejūnė, who took the helm of the company last year and is the daughter of the founder of “Topo centras.”
Read more AFP analysis: in May, Ukraine repelled Russian forces for the second month in a row
Almost every partner who has worked with her will confirm that Gailė is an active user and ambassador of artificial intelligence tools, having completed the AI program at Oxford University’s business school a couple of years ago. Curiosity and the desire to learn about artificial intelligence from the most reliable, not random, sources brought her there.
Already applied in practice
“Topo centras” has already taken concrete steps towards applying artificial intelligence: the company is finishing structuring internal data and expanding the AI competencies team. Currently, the company is running several AI-based initiatives – a sales floor analytics project and the integration of online and physical shopping experiences.
In the field of sales floor analytics, “Topo centras” has already tested several tools in practice designed to analyze customer traffic movement and product placement. The tools showed that the company’s stores have different customer profiles, and the technology allows tailoring the assortment individually in different locations. Various experiments showed that a purposefully selected product in a specific location can increase sales by 40% or more.
“Topo centras” plans to test these tools in all its retail locations, and in some stores, product displays are already being changed using knowledge gained with AI assistance. By the way, customers are already using AI tools as well.
Human confirmation is needed
“We clearly see that customers come to ‘Topo centras’ with product comparisons or Top-10 lists already done by ChatGPT. Nevertheless, even after doing their ‘homework’ with AI, buyers still want human confirmation that the device is really worth attention,” says G. Rusteikaitė-Vištejūnė.
According to her, people have and will have the expectation to make decisions together with a professional and their accumulated experience.
Read more UN: AI should provide benefits to employees
“After all, AI algorithms do not necessarily inquire about the cats they have, long-haired rugs, and other important aspects of the buyer’s daily life. I believe the human factor’s significance will never disappear, but AI certainly encourages everyone to improve,” says the “Topo centras” leader.
In her assessment, AI tools also use not the newest public data, and their advice is often optimized for the US market. Ultimately, AI often recommends certain products or brands not because they are better but due to a larger amount of content available online.
According to G. Rusteikaitė-Vištejūnė, AI is an excellent assistant when choosing product technology or expanding knowledge about electronics. She is pleased that people come better informed about which products they want to choose from, but the final decision is still usually made by communicating with the company’s expert.
Accordingly, the “Topo centras” leader doubts the increasingly heard claims that one day sales consultants or many other specialists will be “replaced by artificial intelligence.” However, she believes that robots will eventually replace routine, mechanical, monotonous tasks in sales floors or warehouses.
“But those specialists who want and can deepen their knowledge and ‘befriend’ technology will remain irreplaceable. There will also always be a need for curious and at the same time communicative, empathetic employees. The paradox is that at ‘Topo centras,’ with AI’s help, we are moving towards more efficient, automated, and personalized processes, and at the same time, we must meet the buyer’s expectations. And buyers expect speed and a ‘one-stop shop,’ but in that shop window, they certainly expect not a robot but a real person, competence, and connection,” says the director of “Topo centras.”
Read more “Panathinaikos” wants to get Željko back: throws huge money
