Effortless Luxury Shopping

Genesis is still a new automaker relative to luxury marques like Mercedes, BMW and even Infiniti. This positions them to be disruptors, but makes the brand and model line-up less familiar to a customer segment that wants a premium experience tuned to their personal level of automotive literacy. We build an AI Concierge that meets customers at the crossroads of their priorities and their acumen. From third row seating to stitching patterns on Napa leather to cross drilled brake rotors we brought the Genesis Son Nim (honored guest) brand values to life.

Challenge

  • Car shopping involves on average 140 search queries, yet 39% of buyers report remorse after purchase*

  • Consumers have widely varied priorities and levels of automotive literacy

  • 52% of customers expressed interest in AI support during the process*

  • Opportunity: Position Genesis as both a luxury automaker and a luxury service provider by extending its “honored guest” brand value into the shopping experience

Approach

  • Created an AI-powered decision engine inspired by a magical blend of luxury hotel concierge and Apple Genius Bar to guide shoppers

  • Delivered in just 10 weeks through: Alignment workshops, UI/UX design thinking and prototyping, Content and prompt engineering, and leveraging existing Genesis website experience

  • Lean, senior team ensured focus and speed with uncompromising brand-level craft

Innovation

  • Early adoption of Publicis’ internal GenAI platform, GenCanvas which includes walled garden versions of tools like ChatGPT, Dall-e

  • Demonstrated how GenCanvas could be used by the team in a shared, AI-powered, infinite canvas to accelerate design
  • Explored engagement models and developed UX to accelerate alignment and the visual design process
  • Conducted initial AI training to develop the Genesis AI Concierge brand voice
  • Reinforced the role of designers as central to the process, with AI as an amplifier

 

Sources: | GfK Barometer of Automotive Awareness and Imagery – GfK Automotive Intentions and Purchases Survey – Ipsos

I

Client

Genesis Automotive

Project

AI Concierge

Agency

Razorfish

Timeline

2025 (10 week sprint)

Creative Team

Q & A

Shop by Inquiry

At any point customers can engage with the AI Concierge in a freeform exchange of questions and answers. Not all consumers are well versed in auto lingo so each answer is accompanied by several educational paths that lean toward feature categories.

Guided Exploration

Shop by Feature

Following these or asking about features leads to an experience enriched with visuals which shoppers can favorite. The cumulative conversation and selections allow the AIC to refine a model and trim recommendation.

Intuitive Guidance

Shop by Style

Not all customers have a sophisticated understanding of vehicle features, but everyone can identify things they like. AI gives us the exciting ability to allow customers to “shop by style”. Simply identifying situations, images, colors and textures the AIC builds a moodboard, summarizes overarching consumer benefits like “great for ski trips” and presents a suggested model and trim.

Moving Fast

UX Artififacts

I quickly created personas to facilitate conversations about the range of acumen our users would poses. And journey segments to illuminate the areas of potential decision fatigue and delight. In this case we needed to explore potential personas for our AI Concierge as well as our users. Looking at a range from non-assertive to an assertive mom we landed on a mix of Apple Genius Support and Style Consultant/Personal Shopper.

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A New Paradigm

Experience Models

It was exciting to explore the new territory of just how the AI itself should present on genesis.com. I explored targeted context aware, persistent invokable, and overt “take-over” approaches that sparked great debate. In the end we felt the honored guest mindset meant the transition to AI should be offered but optional, and clearly distinct from the traditional web experience.