The AI-driven future is here for streetwear company Snipes, according to Jenna Posner, Snipes’ chief digital officer, speaking at eTail West 2023 this week. Snipes is using AI tools now to integrate new merchandise into its platform, driving efficiency for getting product listings live.

1. AI can already write product copy

A few months ago, Snipes started experimenting with AI-driven product descriptions using tools like Copysmith, Copy.ai, Jasper, and Hypotenuse AI, with the goal of figuring out if the brand could realistically create authentic-sounding copy, said Posner. “We got pretty good at it. We’re talking two weeks of consistent hands-on-keys work in 2 hours.”

2. AI does not replace copywriters

That doesn’t mean removing people from content marketing, because everything written by AI needs to be reviewed. But “they’re editors, not copywriters” focusing on writing actual content, rather than search-optimized descriptions.

“We’re actually able to repurpose a lot of our copywriters to actually form content that’s more rich, [including] more engaging blog posts, and that’s also been helping from an SEO perspective as well,” said Posner.

Posner pointed to Snipes’ blog and community-based marketing as areas the company can invest in more now that copywriters are freed up from writing product descriptions. That, in turn, will help improve SEO and brand identity.

3. AI-generated content still needs a perspective

Content from ChatGPT and similar AI tools can sound robotic, which won’t work for consumers and definitely won’t work for Google Search. But Posner’s team has found that they can leverage AI to learn Snipes’ voice and write within the brand’s style.

Of course, one major risk remains, and that’s GPTZero. Snipes notes that if AI detectors become good enough, AI-produced product descriptions may become completely useless for SEO. That’s another good reason to leverage editors, who can use AI as a starting point but change the language slightly.

Last word: AI is already here, so take the initiative to work with it. “Definitely don’t wait, definitely test and learn. It’s fun; it’s really fun,” said Posner.

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