Apparel Group launches AIVI AI shopping app across six GCC markets

Apparel Group has launched AIVI, an AI shopping app, across six GCC countries. The app is available in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. It offers access to more than 200,000 styles and products and is built for a customer base the company says exceeds 15 million across the GCC. AIVI includes an AI assistant called Ask AIVI that responds to text and voice prompts. Users can ask for outfit ideas, styling suggestions or product recommendations. The recommendations draw on preferences, purchase history and previous searches. The app also includes a virtual try-on feature that lets customers upload or take a photo to preview how selected items may look on them before they buy. The group’s loyalty program has been renamed Club AIVI from Club Apparel and is integrated into the app. Club AIVI connects to a network of more than 2,600 stores and over 85 international brands across 14 countries. Members can earn and redeem rewards on eligible purchases online, in stores and at food and beverage outlets. Existing Club Apparel members can continue with the same registered ID. Express fulfilment delivers selected products in as little as 60 minutes in the UAE and 90 minutes across the rest of the Gulf. The app is available on iOS and Android. Neeraj Teckchandani, Group CEO of Apparel Group, said AIVI brings the group’s network of stores and brands together with artificial intelligence, data and technology to create a more connected retail experience. The company has not published the number of downloads since launch or the share of orders that use the AI assistant or virtual try-on. Those figures would show early adoption. Without them the launch remains a description of features rather than measured use. Apparel Group has also not disclosed the cost of developing AIVI or any revenue target for the app. For customers the practical change is the availability of the app in six countries and the integration of the loyalty program into a single place. The value depends on whether recommendations lead to purchases and whether the delivery times are met on a regular basis. The company has not published average delivery times or the percentage of orders fulfilled within the stated windows of 60 and 90 minutes. Other retailers in the region also offer mobile shopping apps and loyalty program. AIVI adds an AI assistant and virtual try-on on top of an existing physical store network that spans more than 2,600 locations. The comparison is between an app that draws on a large brick-and-mortar base and apps that start from online-only catalogues. Apparel Group has not published how much of the product range is available for 60-minute delivery versus standard fulfilment. The announcement does not list the accuracy rate of the virtual try-on or the share of recommendations that result in a purchase. Those details would show how the AI performs in practice. Without them the features remain listed capabilities. The company has also not published whether the AI assistant can handle requests in Arabic as well as English, or how recommendations differ by market. AIVI is the evolution of 6thStreet, Apparel Group’s earlier digital platform. The rebrand and the addition of the AI layer coincide with the group’s 30-year anniversary in the region. Sima Ganwani Ved, Founder and Chairwoman of Apparel Group, said the company is building the intelligence that will define the future of retail after three decades of building stores and brands. The company has not published the number of brands available on AIVI versus the total of 85-plus brands in its physical network, or whether every brand participates in Club AIVI rewards. Those details would show the depth of integration between the app and the existing retail footprint. Without them a customer cannot yet see how complete the catalogue is relative to the stores they already visit. If Apparel Group publishes download numbers, the share of orders using Ask AIVI or virtual try-on, actual delivery performance, and the share of recommendations that convert to purchases, the launch has a measurable follow-through. If the next update is only a restatement of the feature list, the change for customers remains the same as the initial announcement. The figures missing are download numbers, the share of orders completed with the AI tools, and conversion rates from recommendations.