Google has released a new set of generative AI tools for its shopping platform, targeting the fashion segment with features such as virtual try-ons, trend tracking, and personalised deal alerts. The update, announced ahead of the back-to-school shopping season, builds on earlier AI integrations and seeks to streamline how users search for, evaluate, and purchase apparel online.
- Users can now preview how tops from popular brands might look on a range of body types using photorealistic AI-generated models.
- Shoppers can track specific items and receive notifications when those products drop in price or go on sale.
- AI-generated review summaries and trend-based product clusters aim to reduce decision friction and surface emerging styles faster.
THE LAUNCH: Google on Thursday last announced new shopping features that allow users to virtually try on clothing, track price drops, and explore trending looks via generative AI. The launch extends earlier phases of Google’s fashion-focused AI tooling, including its May visual search enhancements and the June debut of Doppl — a companion app for outfit visualisation.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Google’s latest update cements its move into AI-enhanced fashion retail, merging product discovery, virtual fit, and purchasing triggers into a unified experience.
- The tools extend previous rollouts and position Google as a serious contender in AI-led commerce—offering an alternative to platform-first competitors like Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Shein.
CONTEXT FRAME: This latest rollout builds upon a steady layering of AI into Google’s shopping ecosystem over the past year. In May, the platform introduced visual try-ons for tops across Search, followed by the launch of Doppl in June — a standalone app allowing users to see how full outfits might appear on their virtual likeness. The July release now combines those capabilities within Search itself, boosting accessibility and cross-device use.
- Doppl was introduced as a mobile-only app to test user appetite for virtual styling tools in real-world shopping scenarios.
- Google’s May update brought AI try-ons to Search for the first time, focused initially on women’s tops in the US market.
- With the latest release, these tools are now available on both mobile and desktop for signed-in users in the United States.
STRATEGIC SUBTEXT: The updates signal Google’s intent to become a central node in the fashion purchase funnel—not just a referral engine. By embedding generative AI into product pages and discovery pathways, Google reduces the reliance on external e-commerce platforms while nudging users towards native transactions.
- The emphasis on representation—through diverse AI models—also mirrors social expectations around inclusivity in digital retail.
- Try-on models represent sizes from XXS to 4XL and a range of skin tones, hair types, and body shapes.
- The shopping updates leverage Google’s Gemini, which powers multi-language review summaries and style interpretations.
- Trend highlights are based on aggregate browsing and purchase behaviour, grouped into seasonal or thematic collections.
COMING UP: Google has signalled that its virtual try-on tools will soon expand to include men’s apparel, with full-body outfit previews in development.
- Additional enhancements to Doppl are expected later in 2025, potentially linking it directly to retail brand inventories.
- International availability for AI-powered try-ons is also likely, though no confirmed dates have been announced yet.
- Men’s fashion support is listed as a high-priority expansion for Doppl and Search-based tools.
- Developers are exploring ways to let brands directly feed digital garment data into Google’s AI framework.
- Google has not yet committed to a rollout timeline beyond the United States.
