Cheers! Marks & Spencer Pilots AI-Powered Wine Finder Tool

Citing research revealing that one-quarter of UK shoppers spend more than 10 minutes deliberating in the wine aisle, Marks & Spencer is testing an AI-powered Wine Finder tool. The tool asks a few quick questions about personal preferences and then makes tailored wine recommendations based on available inventory in the customer’s chosen store. The Wine Finder is available online for more than 500 Marks & Spencer stores and on point-of-sale marketing in 20 Foodhalls.

The Wine Finder, from solution provider Preferabli, is supported by the M&S Food digital catalog, which provides customers with live stock information across the retailer’s 1,000+ stores and is available through the M&S app. The Wine Finder is able to access this catalog to match recommendations with in-stock wines. The entire experience includes rich content and a showcase for wines with similar flavor profiles.

“We know wine can be a difficult category to shop and it’s important that we find new ways to support our customers when shopping our incredible range in store,” said Caroline Thompson-Hill, Head of Beers, Wine and Spirits at M&S Food in a statement. “By utilizing AI, the Wine Finder tool helps encourage customers to try different regions, grapes and bottles they’ve not considered before.”

The experiences use the Preferabli Sensorial AI and draw on the solution provider’s proprietary database, which identifies hundreds of characteristics for each wine. “Our technology gives shoppers various ways to voice how to begin a journey of discovery,” said Andrew Sussman, Co-founder and CTO of Preferabli in a statement.