Redefining Shopping with AI: A Concierge Approach to Sustainable Choices
At the forefront of ethical innovation in e-commerce, SOORT is redefining the way consumers shop in a digital world saturated with choices. In an exclusive interview with Biz Tech Outlook, the team behind SOORT shares how their AI-powered concierge, TR/OY, is empowering consumers to make more sustainable, conscious, and personalized shopping decisions—effortlessly.
Can you provide an overview of SOORT and its mission to promote responsible consumption?
In an era where online shopping is often overwhelming and unsustainable, SOORT is redefining how consumers make purchasing decisions. SOORT is revolutionizing the way consumers shop by integrating responsible consumption into the online retail experience. As an AI-powered shopping concierge, SOORT simplifies decision-making by providing personalized, sustainable, and ethical product recommendations. In today’s fast-paced digital marketplace, consumers often face two major challenges: a lack of transparency in identifying eco-friendly, high-quality products and the overwhelming time-consuming search process for sustainable alternatives.
To bridge this gap, SOORT curates vetted products from trusted sustainable brands, making ethical shopping more accessible and efficient. Many sustainable brands struggle to compete with larger retailers due to limited marketing resources, but SOORT levels the playing field by bringing these responsible options directly to consumers.
By leveraging AI, SOORT tailors product recommendations to individual preferences while prioritizing sustainability. Users not only receive curated suggestions but also gain insights into their environmental impact, empowering them to make conscious, informed shopping decisions effortlessly.
Wolfgang Loerli, CEO & Founder
Could you elaborate on the role of TR/OY, your AI copilot, in enhancing the user experience on SOORT?
TR/OY, SOORT’s AI-powered copilot, transforms the shopping experience by making product discovery more intuitive, efficient, and sustainable. Unlike traditional search engines that overwhelm users with endless options, TR/OY refines the process by delivering highly personalized and responsible recommendations.
At its core, TR/OY operates through three key pillars:
- Vetted Sustainability Data: Ensuring that only ethical, high-quality brands are featured, allowing users to shop with confidence.
- User Preferences & Behavior: Understanding individual styles, needs, and values to tailor recommendations that truly align with personal tastes.
- Circular Economy Options: Encouraging conscious consumption by promoting resale, rental, and repair alternatives.
What sets TR/OY apart is its seamless blend of convenience and sustainability. Unlike other AI-driven shopping assistants, TR/OY not only personalizes results but also prioritizes responsible consumption. By integrating these values, it empowers users to make informed, ethical choices effortlessly—enhancing their shopping experience while contributing to a more sustainable future.
In what ways does SOORT educate consumers about the environmental and social impacts of their purchasing decisions?
SOORT is committed to educating consumers about the environmental and social impacts of their purchases, empowering them to make responsible choices. By integrating trusted sustainability data into the shopping experience, SOORT ensures that users can easily access insights about the ethical and ecological footprint of products.
One key initiative is SOORT’s partnership with myClimate.org, which allows consumers to compare CO₂ footprints of different products at the point of purchase. This real-time transparency helps shoppers understand the direct environmental impact of their decisions.
Beyond data, SOORT makes sustainability education engaging through gamification. Users can earn tree-planting rewards based on their engagement, transforming responsible shopping into an interactive and rewarding experience. Rather than overwhelming consumers with information, SOORT simplifies complex sustainability concepts, making ethical shopping effortless and empowering. By combining education with action, SOORT fosters a more informed and responsible consumer culture.
How do you envision the role of your beta testers in shaping the future development of the platform?
Beta testers are essential to shaping SOORT’s development, ensuring the platform is intuitive, effective, and aligned with user needs. By collaborating with Zühlke Engineering, a renowned tech firm with a vast network of industry professionals, SOORT gathers diverse and valuable feedback to refine its features before the full-scale launch.
Beta testers contribute in three key ways:
- Fine-tuning usability: Identifying and improving the search experience to make product discovery seamless.
- Validating sustainability data: Recommending trusted shops and flagging inconsistencies to enhance transparency.
- Enhancing personalization: Testing TR/OY’s recommendations across different demographics to ensure tailored, responsible shopping experiences.
By incorporating real user insights, SOORT ensures that its AI-driven concierge is both user-friendly and impactful. This hands-on approach guarantees that the platform evolves based on actual consumer behavior, making responsible shopping easier and more accessible from day one.
How do you plan to leverage technological advancements to further enhance the platform’s capabilities?
SOORT is leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance its platform and revolutionize AI-driven commerce. By integrating advanced AI and emerging technologies, SOORT ensures a smarter, more transparent, and intuitive shopping experience.
Key upcoming developments include:
- Enhanced AI & Machine Learning: Continuously refining TR/OY’s ability to predict user preferences and match products with even greater accuracy, making sustainable shopping seamless.
- Blockchain for Transparency: Exploring decentralized verification of sustainability claims to combat greenwashing, ensuring users can trust the ethical standards of featured brands.
- Voice & AR Shopping: Future integration of voice search and augmented reality, allowing users to discover and experience products in an interactive and immersive way.
By staying at the forefront of technological advancements, SOORT is positioning itself as a long-term disruptor in the AI-driven shopping space. These innovations will further empower consumers to make informed, responsible purchasing decisions while enjoying a more personalized and engaging shopping experience.
What qualities do you believe are essential for driving meaningful change in the fashion industry?
Driving meaningful change in the fashion industry requires a fundamental shift in how consumers engage with brands and make purchasing decisions. SOORT believes that three essential qualities are key to this transformation:
- Transparency: Providing consumers with clear, verified sustainability data ensures they can make informed choices. Without reliable information, ethical shopping becomes difficult, and greenwashing remains a risk.
- Accessibility: Sustainable products must be as easy to find and purchase as mainstream alternatives. By integrating responsible options into a seamless shopping experience, SOORT removes barriers to ethical consumption.
- Community Engagement: Change happens when brands and consumers collaborate to redefine shopping habits. Encouraging participation through education, incentives, and shared values fosters a culture of responsible consumption.
By bridging the gap between consumers and responsible brands, SOORT is accelerating a shift toward conscious shopping—without compromising convenience or choice. This balance between sustainability, accessibility, and engagement is essential for creating lasting change in the fashion industry.
“Shop Smarter, Shop Sustainably. Let TR/OY Guide the Way.”
“Effortless Ethical Shopping, Powered by AI.”
