Open a business newsletter or go literally anywhere on social media, and the talk is about the rise of AI and how it can help your business through tools designed to help efficiency. Does it work everywhere and consistently? Maybe not yet. However, home furnishings retailers are beginning to embrace AI platforms and are finding them useful in business applications.
Retailers agree the upside is assistance with moving through rote tasks more quickly, expediting research or gleaning initial creative insights, for example. They have found that using AI helps with some of their many responsibilities, freeing up time for the more hands-on roles AI can’t do.
“ChatGPT helps eliminate friction in the marketing process by accelerating repetitive or time-consuming tasks,” Elizabeth Bernet, marketing and social media director for The Dallas Collective, said. “That efficiency gives our team more time to focus on what can’t be automated, such as visual merchandising, sourcing, storytelling and customer experience.”
What tools and why
ChatGPT appears to be a platform to start with as retailers integrate the technology into their day-to-day operations. At The Dallas Collective in Texas, ChatGPT performs several functions, such as creating first draft copy, outlining campaigns, organizing launch timelines and refining messaging, Bernet said.
It has also been a useful tool for research in the vintage decor space, as it can comb through historical content quickly and draft thoughtful descriptions of vintage pieces so each item can be properly positioned and priced.
At Clive Daniels, ChatGPT is a primary AI tool as well, according to Nannette Cotto, creative marketing and communications for the Florida-based design and home furnishings retailer.
“We use AI primarily within our marketing department to support research, trend analysis, draft content development and campaign performance optimization,” she said. “AI allows us to streamline marketing workflows and optimize digital engagement strategies. It helps to reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks, allowing our team to focus on higher-level strategy, relationship building and the creative aspects of our brand.”
What AI doesn’t do is drive Clive Daniels’ creative endeavors. “When it comes to design, which is the heart of our business, AI serves as a support system rather than a creative director,” Cotto said, adding that the retailer relies on its experienced and intuitive designers for the heavy creative lifting.
Other AI tools that the Clive Daniels team relies on are embedded in programs the company had already been using, such as Canva for marketing design support and caption drafting; Grammarly for polishing writing, tightening tone and improving clarity and professionalism; Photoshop Generative Fill for editing product photos and correcting imagery for marketing use; and Meta AI tools, such as Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager for optimizing ad targeting and campaign performance suggestions.
While these retailers have begun to embrace how AI can support their businesses, others are still somewhat skeptical. At Tidewater Lighting in Connecticut, owner Carla Snowdon has begun using tools such as ChatGPT to help with research in technical areas, such as coding requirement recommendations, or to help configure lighting layers or optimal lumens in a room setting. She’ll also turn to AI for brainstorming ideas for weekly newsletters and other marketing tasks, but then she writes her own content.
“AI is something to build upon,” Snowdon said. “For me, it’s not something I’m ready to rely on. It’s not foolproof. AI doesn’t know the trial and error we’ve been through.”
The learning curve Snowdon suggested retailers and other companies that are embracing AI more fully should hire employees who are trained on the programs and understand the benefits and the pitfalls.
“It’s time-consuming to learn something new and run a company at the same time,” she said. While she feels she’s not quite ready to let AI take over tasks for her lighting showroom, as it evolves, she does believe it will be a significant efficiency tool for younger generations coming into retail.
For other retailers who are turning more tasks over to AI, it does take some time to learn what it can and can’t do well, where it is most effective and where it needs to be scrutinized. The advice for retailers embarking on an AI journey? Take it slow.
“The learning curve has been manageable because we approached AI thoughtfully rather than impulsively,” Cotto noted. “We encourage experimentation within structured parameters, allowing teams to explore tools while maintaining brand integrity and data oversight.”
At the Dallas Collective, the team introduced AI programs gradually as well, gaining relevant knowledge as they used it on real needs rather than hypothetical exercises.
“Our learning was largely hands-on,” Bernet said. “We experimented with ChatGPT on active projects: marketing copy, vintage descriptions and internal planning. We refined our approach through iteration. Over time, we developed internal best practices so the tool supports our voice instead of shaping it.”
Human oversight
While AI may be helpful, it’s not without its flaws. Retailers caution that it’s not perfect. Beyond accuracy, which should continually be reviewed at this stage, AI can’t always pick up on brand nuances or voice.
Snowdon will use AI for brainstorming newsletter ideas, for example, but her concern is that other lighting showrooms may end up with the same information, which is why she then writes her content herself. She wants her communications to reflect her business and voice.
“AI can sound generic if relied on too heavily,” Bernet added. “Retail, especially in design, is deeply personal and experiential. We overcome this by treating AI as a tool for structure and efficiency, while the final decisions, edits and creative direction always come from our team. The human layer is what makes the work resonate.”
Authenticity can be a primary challenge when using AI, Cotto agreed, particularly in a brand such as Clive Daniels, where voice, nuance and emotional connection matter.
“AI can generate content efficiently, but it cannot replicate lived design experience, refined aesthetic judgment or the emotional intelligence required in luxury client relationships,” she said. “For that reason, we treat AI as a first step in a process, never the final voice. AI is most powerful when used as an assistant — not an authority.”
