Zalando Accelerates Marketing with AI-Generated Imagery
European online fashion retailer Zalando has adopted generative artificial intelligence to speed up the production of imagery for its app and website. This shift allows the company to respond quickly to fleeting fashion trends popularized on social media, while significantly cutting costs.
Zalando operates across 25 European markets, offering branded clothes, shoes, and accessories. By integrating AI, the company can now create marketing visuals in just three to four days, compared to the previous six to eight weeks. This change reduces production costs by 90% and drives higher customer engagement.
AI-Generated Digital Twins Enhance Marketing Efficiency
One notable innovation is Zalando’s use of AI-generated "digital twins"—3D replicas of models. These digital models are used both in campaigns and on product pages in the app, eliminating the need for extensive photoshoots. This approach enables the retailer to maintain visual consistency and react quickly to new trends without the traditional time and expense.
About 70% of Zalando’s editorial campaign images in late 2024 were AI-generated, illustrating popular trends such as "brat summer," "mob wife," and double denim. This demonstrates how AI supports timely and relevant content creation that resonates with customers.
Balancing AI with Human Creativity
Matthias Haase, Zalando’s vice president of content solutions, emphasizes that AI is a tool to enhance creativity rather than replace it. Traditional fashion shoots remain important, but creatives will increasingly incorporate AI tools to expand their capabilities.
"Creative minds now have, instead of two hands, six hands," Haase said, highlighting how AI can multiply creative output rather than make creatives redundant.
What Marketers Can Learn from Zalando’s Approach
- Speed matters: AI enables rapid content creation to keep pace with fast-moving trends.
- Cost efficiency: Reducing imagery production costs frees up budget for other marketing initiatives.
- Customer relevance: AI helps generate fresh, trend-aligned content that engages audiences.
- Hybrid creativity: Combining AI tools with human creativity leads to better results.
Marketers can consider integrating generative AI tools into their content workflows to improve responsiveness and optimize budgets. For those interested in learning more about AI applications in marketing, relevant courses and certifications can be found at Complete AI Training.
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