People and their individual preferences and needs are becoming more and more of a focus in advertising. At the same time, artificial intelligence and its potential are developing rapidly. The duel between man and machine is much discussed. Not for XXXLutz. The second largest furniture retailer uses the latest AI technologies to inspire those interested in creative furnishing and to relieve its own employees of everyday work.
The impetus comes from the marketing strategists at XXXLutz and the AI experts at For Sale. The long-standing lead agency based in Munich and Hamburg has been dealing with the opportunities and limitations of generative AI from the very beginning. In close cooperation with XXXLutz, For Sale has created the new digital personality and brought it to life, so to speak.
The first digital human at XXXLutz
By people for people and yet AI-generated - a contradiction? 'Quite the opposite,' emphasises Konrad Nill, CMO at XXXLutz Germany: 'Lucy brings the knowledge of our interior design consultants: always on the pulse of international trends, enthusiastic and inspiring, and as an AI person she is "always on".' Lucy can be deployed flexibly in terms of space and time: at any time, in any place, simultaneously on the various channels and also ready for use at short notice.
'What is important to us and what we value is that our campaign continues to be driven by real people. However, as a brand ambassador, Matthias Schweighöfer obviously cannot answer customer inquiries around the clock or invite them virtually to his apartment several times a week to present the latest trends,' says Nill: 'His digital colleague is perfect for these tasks.'
The advantages are obvious when used as a chatbot. AI tools, in this case large language models, are an important building block for better understanding customer inquiries in the future and being able to provide more tailored answers. Giving them a name and a face is not only useful from a marketing perspective. People simply prefer to talk to a character rather than a machine - and at XXXLutz that is (also) "Lucy Homefield".
The persona Lucy Heimfeld
Lucy Heimfeld or - Homefield, as she calls herself online - is a positive and mindful AI character who is fully dedicated to the topics of interior design, living, decoration and lifestyle. Lucy is friendly to herself and her environment, loves exchanging ideas with others, but also the quiet moments of reflection. Her style and personality are characterised by a balance between activity and rest - just like her daily routine. Her training in interior design helps her, as does her own creative energy, which inspires her again and again through travel and discovery tours, in hotel lobbies and interior shops. In her late twenties, she already has plenty of experience as an interior designer and is determined to share this with her community and to be a "real" help. As an influencer on Instagram, chatbot and why not at the point of sale? One thing is clear: Lucy still has a lot planned.
AI is an integral part of XXXLutz
AI applications will continue to play a rapidly growing role for the industry leader. And not just in communication. 'With Lucy, another step has been taken into a digital future,' says Konrad Nill happily. XXXLutz launched Germany's largest virtual kitchen studio three years ago. 'If you want to set trends in interior design, you also have to set trends in marketing,' says Nill.
More information:
XXXLutz
[email protected]
www.xxxlgroup.com