Freeing up creativity and enabling efficiency with AI content
Fashion e-commerce has a content problem. We know that customers, especially Gen Z, are no longer satisfied with static, white-background packshots. They want inspiration, context and a reason to buy. Yet, producing high-quality, editorial-style assets for every SKU in a catalogue of thousands is historically a logistical and financial impossibility.
Generative AI is changing that.
In the latest episode of Business Casual, Elena Ermishina sits down with Matthias Haase, VP of Content Solutions at Zalando. As the Co-CEO of DeepAR and with a background in film and visual effects, Haase bridges the gap between creative vision and technological scale. He is currently spearheading Zalando’s shift toward “content-driven commerce,” moving the platform away from static imagery to immersive, AI-generated storytelling.
Watch the full episode below to see how his team is using AI to turn standard product pages into sources of inspiration.
Content as a customer expectation
Today’s customers, especially younger ones, don’t browse in straight lines. They land on a platform without a specific product in mind, explore ideas, play with trends and follow inspiration until something resonates. For this behaviour, content becomes part of the product itself.
According to The State of Fashion 2025, 50% of fashion executives identified product discovery as the key use case for generative AI in 2025. This is a critical shift because 74% of customers report walking away from online purchases simply due to the overwhelming volume of choice. Customers are looking for context–how a shoe looks on the street, not just in a studio.
Elevating the Product Detail Page (PDP)
At Zalando, elevated product detail pages show how powerful this can be. Short videos, contextual images and clearer product storytelling help customers see how an item moves, fits and behaves. Across the industry, up to 70% of returns due to a lack of product clarity, AI’s impact is measurable: engagement on Zalando increases by up to 10% when more context is available. Return rates fall once customers can see products in motion. Better information leads to better decisions and a more confident shopping experience.
“We clearly see conversion rates go up if you’re adding contextual information. But when you’re adding video content…we clearly see that return rates go down.”
From creative ambition to operational scale
Traditional content production is expensive, slow and difficult to scale. A location shoot can take weeks. Recreating past lighting or finding the same model for an older product is often impossible. And for brands with huge assortments, elevating every single item simply does not fit into cost or time constraints.
AI can reduce production timelines by over 90%. With the right AI models, Zalando can now generate video-like content from existing still images. Products that never had enriched assets suddenly do. Older stock can be elevated without reshoots. Entire assortments can be brought to a higher creative standard in a matter of days rather than months.
Faster processes at a lower cost
Under Haase’s leadership, Zalando has moved to generating approximately 70% of editorial campaign assets using AI. Traditionally, producing on-site marketing campaigns could take six to eight weeks, from briefing to delivery. Now, at Zalando, it takes just four days.
This speed allows brands to react to microtrends in under 24 hours. If a specific aesthetic trend is on social media, brands can produce relevant, high-quality content and have it live on the platform almost immediately.
The result is not only efficiency, but creative liberation. Instead of being limited by budget or geography, teams can imagine sets, moods and worlds that do not physically exist. AI becomes a tool that expands creativity rather than replacing it.
Local relevance at a global scale
One of the most powerful applications of AI in logistics and e-commerce is localisation. Previously, creating dedicated content for specific local events was often deemed too resource-intensive for global brands. Take Oktoberfest: using AI, we can take global content and adapt it to be culturally relevant for specific markets like Germany, allowing for explicit, targeted campaigns that resonate with local audiences.
Product discovery powered by AI
AI content production isn’t limited to visuals. Large language models now support product attribution, enrichment and copywriting. By analysing the product directly, AI adds detailed attributes and descriptions that improve discoverability. Performance marketing teams can build trend-based campaigns and rely on AI to surface the most relevant items. With richer product data, ROI increases and customers find what they are looking for more intuitively.
Towards immersive shopping
Zalando is also scaling 3D and virtual try-on technology across footwear. Customers are able to rotate products from any angle, try them on virtually and explore details that previously required a physical shop. For younger shoppers, it is a natural extension of how they already interact with fashion. Zalando is bringing immersive product experiences to the full footwear assortment next year and expanding into other categories next.
AI as an enabler, not a replacement
For Haase, the most important principle is authenticity. AI should strengthen the creative vision, not dilute it. Testing, learning and refining the technology has shown where it adds value and where human direction remains essential. Creative strategy still comes first. AI simply makes it possible to execute ideas faster, more flexibly and with fewer constraints.
“Technology is…not a creative mind. Pairing them together is pure power.”
AI-supported content creation is becoming a strategic advantage. It brings products to life, improves customer confidence and reduces operational complexity. For brands, it means faster processes, lower costs and creative possibilities that were once out of reach.
And as AI continues to evolve, it’s unlocking a new era in how fashion is presented, discovered and experienced. Creativity remains human. AI simply clears the path for it.
