Puma taps Google Cloud’s Imagen on Vertex AI solution to create immersive digital shopping experiences

Puma and Google Cloud have announced an expanded partnership aimed at enhancing the digital shopping experience with generative AI.

Using Imagen 2 on Vertex AI, Puma says it can now create dynamic and personalised product imagery that is improving click-through rates and accelerating the time-to-market for its digital campaigns globally.

It has the ability to generate relevant imagery, such as new background images that are tailored to the product, customer, and region. While the technology is available globally, Imagen on Vertex AI enables marketers in individual Puma regions to tailor content to their specific market needs.

For example, while shopping online, customers from Japan may see a lifestyle shoe worn on the streets of Ginza or a trail running shoe on the foothills of Mt. Fuji.

Beyond image generation, Imagen on Vertex AI also becomes a tool for image editing, aiding Puma content editors with time-consuming editing tasks, such as shadowing, composition and color accuracy, resolution, and product positioning.

Since migrating its e-commerce ecosystem, including Puma.com, to Google Cloud earlier this year, Puma has experienced significant benefits across its online shopping portfolio.

In addition to increasing average order value (AOV) thanks to better personalised content with Google Cloud’s data and AI tools, its retail teams have also reduced the time needed to take products to market, enabling teams to make products shoppable the moment they reach the warehouse.

“At Puma, all product creations always starts with the consumer first in mind and we have the ambition to be as personal as possible in each interaction with our consumers. Google Cloud’s generative AI has allowed us to create an immersive experience that is tailored to each consumer, and we are already seeing the benefits,” says Arne Freundt, CEO at Puma.

Puma will soon explore Imagen 3, Google Cloud’s latest text-to-image model. The sports company also plans to expand the implementation of Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Search for Retail to more subsidiaries to further improve AOV and overall shopper conversion rate.

“Google Cloud is helping companies in every industry improve the customer experience with gen AI powered agents, and our partnership with Puma is an excellent example of this. The creative agent Puma has built with our leading Imagen technology is taking personalisation to a new level - and driving real business results,” says Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud.

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Gen AI is a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which is now open for entries.

The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Key 2024 dates

Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed

30th October-6th November: Judging days

Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.