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Williams-Sonoma is deploying Salesforce AI agents across its brand portfolio, including Pottery Barn and West Elm, to automate customer service and power new personalized shopping experiences, as first detailed by Digital Commerce 360. The move is a bet that AI can graduate from rote support chats to creative tasks like menu planning and interior design.
A sous chef in your pocket: The most ambitious feature is "Olive," an AI assistant for the Williams Sonoma brand. Pitched as a culinary companion, the bot plans menus, finds recipes, and creates shopping lists. It can even recommend specific kitchen tools by checking a customer's purchase history to see what they already own.
From chats to couches: The system runs on a data platform that unifies customer information from across the retailer's brands to fuel the AI's personalized responses. Beyond the kitchen, Williams-Sonoma is also exploring using the technology for more subjective tasks like interior design, where it could help customers avoid common mistakes like choosing the wrong-sized rug or sofa.
Bugs in the bot: While the vision is impressive, the technology isn't perfect. In an early test, Enterprise Times reported that the Olive agent failed to understand a request for "fresh garlic" and initially didn't provide ingredient quantities for its recipes.
Williams-Sonoma is betting that AI can deliver personalization at scale, but its success will depend on navigating consumer preference for human-led support and proving the technology is reliable enough for creative tasks.
