Walmart uses artificial intelligence to fast-track apparel offerings

At a time when Trump Administration tariffs threaten the apparel supply chain, Walmart announced a Trend-to-Product initiative that uses artificial intelligence tools to expedite the launch of on-trend, affordable fashion.

The retail giant said the new initiative shortens the traditional production time for Walmart apparel by as much as 18 weeks, getting trending clothes in front of customers while demand is high. The proprietary tech solution was created to support Walmart designers and merchants and uses AI and GenAI – generative artificial intelligence – to analyze global data and trends, pull information from the internet and influencers to help Walmart apparel buyers and makers create and launch products much faster. Walmart said low prices remain a focus in the plan to bring apparel from trend to a product ready for sale in six to eight weeks.

It typically takes the fashion industry around six months to design and produce a collection of clothing from idea and concept to the time it ends up in stores or online. Walmart said its AI tools condense the time spent on new designs by researchers and designers from weeks to minutes. Designers and merchants use the AI info to refine ideas into a final step that will form the collection sold at retail.

“Trend-to-Product empowers our private brand design and product development associates to spend less time chasing trends and more time doing what they love most – creating and delivering high quality, on-trend items for our customers for every season and occasion,” said Jen Jackson Brown, senior vice president for apparel brand and design in Walmart U.S. “We are excited by the early results of this new technology and the power it could have to transform the way we operate and serve our customers.”

Brown said the new approach also generates a fashion blueprint for the collection, which instructs suppliers on exactly how to sew each item. The whole design process takes about an hour and products can be on shelves in six to eight weeks.

Bill Chiodetti, lead product manager of Trend-to-Product, said one of many factors making the tech work is its balance of speed and quality. And while the tool is focused on apparel, the potential applications are broader.

“From the beginning, we recognized Trend-to-Product could go beyond fashion, to help Walmart bring great products to market in any category,” Chiodetti said. “Our mission is to help Walmart accelerate without compromise.”

Walmart said Trend-to-Product was created in Bentonville by internal technology teams. Andrea Albright, executive vice president for Walmart Sourcing, was the earliest executive sponsor of Trend-to-Product.

“We recognized the possibilities with customer-facing technology and saw Trend-to-Product as a way to bring the best of AI and GenAI to the first mile. Now, that vision is coming to life,” Albright said. “And we’re not stopping with fashion. Imagine a future where Trend-to-Product helps designers create the next great lipstick color or a new flavor combination that sets the internet on fire. That’s where we’re headed.”

Walmart is not the only player to shorten the idea-to-shelf process. Target recently announced operational changes inspired by social media-fueled fashion trends that make it possible to get apparel products to market in two months.