Internet of Things, metaverse, big data; technology spawns an array of buzzwords — some proving to be relevant while others seeming to fizzle out alongside trends. When it comes to artificial intelligence, though, Fabletics’ Meera Bhatia doesn’t think that’s the case.
“To me, AI is the latest on this journey about how we embrace data to deliver better experiences. It’s a real trend,” Bhatia says on this episode of Retail Gets Real. “It’s not just a buzzword.”
In today’s business environment, chief operating officer can mean a lot of things to many different companies. For Bhatia, being COO means running the retailer’s operational functions, technology organization, growth team and ecommerce team.
Bhatia has an extensive background in tech, having worked for cutting-edge companies like Microsoft, LinkedIn and Expedia. She joined Fabletics because she found it to be an innovative company that’s open to integrating technology in a data-driven way. Fabletics strives to stay at the forefront of tech, and, with AI, Bhatia says the retailer is testing ways to use it across functions.
“We’ve always done a lot with algos and data and personalization but now we’re seeing, OK, this can now touch every part of the business,” she says. “We want to be an early adopter of driving that use case across every part of our business.”
Bhatia is the executive sponsor of an employee group compiled of representatives from across business functions at Fabletics, each tasked with trialing one use case on AI in their respective functions.
“It’s one of my favorite meetings to go to because I get to report out about what everyone’s trying,” she says. “And it’s pretty interesting to see how much — there’s just so much stuff out there.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about how Bhatia is driving digital advances at Fabletics, her extraordinary career journey in tech and how AI can be used across functions … it might even help you pack for your next trip!