ASOS and Microsoft announce new three-year collaboration to support operational excellence through AI
LONDON, Wednesday 7th August 2024: ASOS, the destination for fashion-loving 20-somethings, has signed a new three-year agreement with Microsoft, driving forward its commitment to operational excellence, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.
As an early technology adopter, ASOS is already taking advantage of AI features integrated into Microsoft solutions. This includes process automation through Power Automate; automated meeting summaries, notes, actions, and live translations through Teams Premium; and Microsoft Copilot, including Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Copilot for Github, which ASOS has been using since early 2023 to support its engineering teams to produce code effectively and efficiently.
“A core part of our business strategy is driving operational excellence within ASOS: making sure we’re as fast, efficient, and effective as we can be, and investing our time and resources in the projects that matter,” said Victoria Arden, Director of Technology Operations, ASOS. “Under this new agreement, we’re helping ASOSers safely experiment with generative AI tools that can remove ‘busy work’ from their day, freeing them up to unlock greater creativity and insights and focus on delighting our customers.”
It marks the latest step in ASOS’ ongoing collaboration with Microsoft, which has already incorporated the use of AI services. In 2022, ASOS signed a new five-year agreement to continue using Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud platform. It uses Microsoft Azure and its AI capabilities to power its digital platforms and support its focus on data-driven decision-making, speed, and efficiency. Earlier this year, ASOS launched customer testing for its AI Stylist: an Azure OpenAI-powered experience that helps customers discover new looks through an easy-to-use, conversational interface, built using early access to Microsoft’s generative AI tools, that authentically reflects the ASOS brand and tone of voice.1
Papinder Dosanjh, Director of AI and Machine Learning, ASOS, added: “AI and Machine Learning are already transforming how we work at ASOS, whether it’s supporting better demand forecasting, helping with data-driven decision-making, or powering our recommendation system – delivering billions of product recommendations to our customers per day. Working with Microsoft, we continue to drive innovation in this area, always aligned to our principles of safe and responsible experimentation and development.”
Olaf Akkerman, General Manager, Retail and Consumer Goods Industry, Microsoft UK said: "It's fantastic to further extend our relationship with ASOS after many years of collaboration. ASOS has been an early adopter of AI and is using it in many innovative ways, such as delivering personalised shopping experiences through AI fashion stylists. This renewed commitment will bring huge productivity gains, freeing up time so that ASOS employees can focus on new, data-driven ways to better serve customers."
Read more about how ASOS is rolling out generative AI tools across its business on the ASOS Tech Blog.
Notes to editors
1 Read more about how ASOS used Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI prompt flow with ChatGPT language models to rapidly develop and test its AI Stylist.
About ASOS
ASOS is a destination for fashion-loving twenty-somethings around the world, with a purpose to give its customers the confidence to be whoever they want to be. Through its app and mobile/desktop web experience, available in nine languages and in over 200 markets, ASOS customers can shop a curated edit of nearly 50,000 products, sourced from nearly 900 global and local partner brands alongside a mix of fashion-led own-brand labels – including ASOS Design, ASOS Edition, ASOS 4505, Collusion, Reclaimed Vintage, Topshop, Topman, and Miss Selfridge. ASOS aims to give all its customers a truly frictionless experience, with an ever-greater number of different payment methods and hundreds of local deliveries and return options, including Next-Day Delivery and Same-Day Delivery, dispatched from state-of-the-art fulfilment centres in the UK, US, and Germany.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
