The Opportunity

With the improvements in AI, e-commerce must evolve to support the future of human interaction with data. Old-school search strings and forms will quickly become dated, so Blocshop produced Talkn as a way to stay ahead of the curve.

The Approach

Using a combination of LLMs, Blocshop produced a tool that stores products in a proprietary document structure that is searchable via API. The API is called via function calling by ChatGPT which then currates the response and displays appropriate products to the user. We employed a mixture of ChatGPT and Llama2 language models, Lucene, .NET, and Azure, as well as agile methods to keep strong communication and collaboration across all development teams in 3 separate locations, which was key to the project's success.

About AI in e-commerce

The creation of Talkn is not just an upgrade to the e-commerce search experience but a fundamental shift in how online shopping platforms can utilize AI to understand and respond to consumer needs more intuitively. By employing LLMs and a unique document structure for product information, Talkn offers a more natural and efficient way for users to find products, moving beyond the constraints of keyword-based searches to understand user intent and context.

This approach reflects a broader trend in the tech industry towards more personalized and interactive online experiences, suggesting that the future of e-commerce will be increasingly conversational and adaptive to individual user preferences. Blocshop's pioneering work with Talkn positions the company as a leader in this evolving landscape, highlighting the potential of AI to transform not only e-commerce but the broader digital economy.