Oscar Flores (left) and Yamila Adelcader from Salgado with Bernard
With the help of an AI Chatbot named Bernard, truly sustainable children’s clothing brand Isbjörn of Sweden has managed to reduce its web returns by 50 per cent since October 2019.
Bernard was originally developed by social media agency Salgado and Facebook, choosing Isbjörn as a pilot for the unique AI robot.
Bernard has successfully guided customers through various sizes and garments, making the decision-making process straightforward and more accurate, hence minimizing unnecessary returns. Not trying on clothing prior to buying online has been a major problem for consumers, with many ordering several different sizes of the same garment and then returning the incorrect sizes. Isbjörn’s new friend Bernard now plays a crucial part in the company’s commitment to reducing returns, waste and energy.
CEO Maria Frykman said: “For Isbjörn as a brand, it is essential we are able to offer a truly sustainable solution even in our own web shop. Reducing the number of returns has been one of the goals we set ourselves early on, but the question was just how? Now we’ve done it with creative help from our talented Swedish partner Salgado, located in Uppsala, who has a keen interest in AI. The next step is for Isbjörn to develop Bernard to also cover our international markets, by letting Bernard attend a crash course in English.
“Our International expansion continues this May when we will open up our web shop for the first time in the US. By providing this fun yet clear solution to our consumers, we will significantly reduce freight and inventory handling, which is a huge bonus for the environment.
“It’s exciting to also congratulate the team behind Bernard – Oscar Flores and Yamila Abdelcader from Salgado – for the nomination of our Chatbot Bernard for Gold M of the Year in the Digital Solution of the Year category.”