Estimated to be worth $3T by the end of the decade, per CB Insights' Industry Analyst Consensus, the fashion industry is growing at a fast pace, led by cutting-edge technologies. From robots that sew and cut fabric to AI algorithms that predict style trends, VR mirrors in dressing rooms, shopping off the runway and a number of other innovations show how technology is automating and evolving the industry. In 2016, Google collaborated with online fashion platform Zalando and production company Stinkdigital to launch predictive design engine, Project Muze. The algorithm consisted of a set of aesthetic parameter and trained a neural network to comprehend colours, textures and styles derived from Google Fashion Trends Report and data sourced by Zalando -- to create designs in sync with with style preferences identified by the network. Amazon is taking an algorithmic approach to fashion as well.

The urgency to solve for virtual fit, once relegated online, has extended to stores, where the pandemic has made trying on clothing more complicated. Reopened stores are mostly contactless, meaning that fitting rooms are closed, restricted or just unappealing; 65 per cent of women feel unsafe trying on apparel in dressing rooms, according to First Insight. Thus, shoppers are left to guess size and fit -- and more inclined to adopt the buy-then-try behaviours that mimic e-commerce. The phenomenon has compromised a key value proposition for stores; fit is the top reason for online returns, which for apparel can be 40 per cent. "People are using their bedrooms as fitting rooms," says Haniff Brown, founder and CEO of fit-tech startup Fit:Match.

Our core retail experience hasn't changed much in recent years. We go into a store (or to an online portal), we browse through the available options, try them out and make the purchase. Well, that's where the disruptions are happening thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). It has completely transformed the way we handle our retail experience – both from a customer's perspective as well from a business standpoint. Artificial Intelligence creates an opportunity for retailers to bridge the gap between virtual and physical sales channels. Brands are progressively using Artificial Intelligence to reduce cost, improve efficiency, achieve operational agility and increase the speed of decision making in the retail world. According to IBM's recent study, AI-driven intelligent automation in the retail and consumer products industries is projected to leap from 40 percent of companies today to more than 80 percent in the next three years.

Artificial Intelligence or AI, is having a huge say in how digital marketing is being done these days. It is the latest go-to technology for every successful and aspiring digital marketing agency. Its addition to digital marketing seems to have opened up a new dimension with business owners delivering the customer experiences of a lifetime and buyers too revelling in it. Never before has marketing interaction been so fruitful, data been so easy to analyse and product promotion been so enjoyable. With consumers getting to see their virtual selves in front of them, the consumer-seller relationship is being redefined, all thanks to the use of artificial intelligence.

The basic retail experience hasn't changed much over the years: go into a store, look for the right product and make a purchase. Artificial intelligence has the potential to completely transform the traditional retail experience and take it to the next level with personalization, automation and increased efficiency. Here are 20 of the best examples of AI to improve the retail experience. Navigating a hardware store can be difficult, but Lowes created the LoweBot to help customers find their way around the store and get the items they need. LoweBots roam the store and ask customers simple questions to find out what they're looking for.

If you think that freezer door just gave you a second look, you might be right. In their efforts to eliminate marketing misfires in the aisles, more retailers are investing in ways to physically connect with their customers within their stores. From cooler doors that recognize a face to dressing room mirrors that can dim the lights, retailers are investing in artificial intelligence (AI) for one key purpose: to accurately anticipate customer behavior at scale. This was a theme recently of the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York. Specifically, retailers are using AI, facial recognition and other advanced technologies for their physical tracking capabilities, to make better sense of the factors that influence shopper purchase decisions in real time.

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding and lifestyle brand Guess on Wednesday showed off a new artificial intelligence driven concept for future fashion stores, as retailers incorporate technology into offline shopping to improve customer experience and drive sales. A concept store showing off Alibaba's FashionAI technology has been set up on the campus grounds of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will be open to the public from July 5 to July 7. Users check in to the store with their mobile Taobao QR code and all the items displayed in-store come with corresponding Taobao product listings, so that users can add the items they would like to purchase directly to their Taobao cart. Within the store, each item, whether it's a dress or a pair of heels, comes with an RFID tag. When a customer picks up a product, the smart mirror closest to the user registers the tag and displays an image of the item as well as the product details on the screen. The smart mirror can also provide mix and match suggestions for items in the store and styling suggestions based on previous purchases made by the user.

To Stitch Fix's "hybrid design" tool, fashion design is a puzzle work of 30 to 80 pieces. On the website of online personal shopping service Stitch Fix, the company features a customer review that reads, "I love that my stylist listens to my feedback. The personal note included in my Fix shows how much pride she takes in serving each client." Stitch Fix's personal stylist is the best of its kind. Indeed, few stylists in the industry has achieved the same level of success at outfit pairing and shopping recommendation.

There have been a number of buzzwords and defining technology trends in retail over the last decade: from Big Data, to omnichannel, and the ubiquitous, omni-present Cloud. And now the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) have seemingly become the latest crazes and talk of the town. Forrester expects investment in AI to triple this year. By 2020, 85% of customer interactions will be managed by AI according to research by Gartner. The value of AI is estimated to be worth $36.8bn globally by 2025 predicts US market intelligence firm Tractica.

Advances in artificial intelligence are destined to make our lives and shopping experiences even better – good news for the consumer, and good news for retailers – but will machines eventually out-do humans, asks Uwe Hennig, chief executive of retail tech specialist Detego? There have been a number of buzzwords and defining technology trends in retail over the last decade: from Big Data, to Omni-channel, and the ubiquitous, omni-present Cloud. And now the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) have seemingly become the latest crazes and talk of the town. Forrester expects investment in AI to triple this year. By 2020, 85 percent of customer interactions will be managed by AI according to research by Gartner.