How Net-a-Porter uses AI for luxury customer personalisation

LuxExperience, the parent company of Net-a-Porter, uses AI to identify which shoppers should receive more human attention rather than replacing personal stylists with automation. The company has used predictive models since 2017 to move beyond older performance marketing metrics like cost per click. Mytheresa acquired Net-a-Porter from Richemont in April 2025, with the transaction closing on 23 April, and the parent company was renamed LuxExperience on 1 May 2025.

Which customers does AI flag for premium service?

The retailer's model looks at signals including a customer's first purchase, search behaviour, payment method, products purchased, brands purchased, shipping and billing address, and the time of day a transaction is made. In fiscal 2026, the top 4.3 per cent of Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter customers generated 49.1 per cent of their combined gross merchandise value. Around 35,000 shoppers make up that group, and the company wants to add roughly 3,000 more.

Both Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter recognise the value of their EIP (extremely important, big-spending) customers, offering them special events, secret shops and personalised experiences. Net-a-Porter creates exclusive, personalised experiences for its EIPs with dedicated personal shoppers and invitation-only moments.

What role does the technology platform play?

Significant synergies are expected from combining back-office operations and leveraging Mytheresa's proprietary technology platform, with joint administrative services, integrated customer management and data pooling for AI innovation anticipated to drive efficiencies. The digital stack from Mytheresa, if rolled out effectively across Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter and Yoox, could improve conversion and efficiency.

A recent job posting describes a role pivotal in shaping the behavioural intelligence layer for Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter sites and apps, leading AI-driven innovation across search, recommendations and site experience using Google Vertex, while overseeing end-to-end site and app experimentation governance.

How does luxury AI personalisation differ from mass retail?

Mass retail personalisation suggesting customers who bought this also bought that surfaces price-inappropriate items, clashes with a client's established taste, or feels like a supermarket checkout; what works instead is building affinity profiles from browsing behaviour, then adjusting the whole page experience around it. Personalisation is one of the strongest applications of AI in luxury retail.

For ultra-high-value clients, AI creates the possibility of extending adviser-grade guidance beyond the boutique, making the shopping experience feel continuous, contextual and available on demand; for the next generation of luxury clients, many of whom may never have a named client adviser, AI can provide a scalable digital proxy of that relationship.

What do luxury consumers expect from AI?

79 per cent of customers surveyed by Google say they would find it helpful for AI to understand their specific needs and recommend products, whilst 82 per cent say they want AI to reduce their time spent researching what to buy. A McKinsey survey finds that 85 per cent of luxury consumers use a multi-purpose AI assistant.

Across both the United States and China, consumers most frequently use AI during the exploration phase of the purchase journey to understand product differences, compare options and receive personalised recommendations. 71 per cent of consumers expect personalised interactions, and companies that excel at it generate 40 per cent more revenue than their peers, according to McKinsey.

What challenges does the retailer face?

LuxExperience CEO Michael Kliger said he is not comfortable with the number of top customers, and the company is working to bring back shoppers who once spent heavily with the sites but have since gone elsewhere. Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter show signs of the commercial turnaround that will drive renewed growth and profitability after years of decline.

LuxExperience achieved its second consecutive quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA profitability in Q3 fiscal 2026, with group gross profit margin expanding by 520 basis points year-on-year to 45.6 per cent, whilst transformation plan execution remains on track, including separation of luxury and off-price businesses, workforce reductions, technology migrations and significant selling, general and administrative cost reductions.

How is the wider luxury sector adopting AI?

Customer product discovery and search is the top-ranked use case for generative AI in 2025, according to fashion executives. McKinsey advises luxury brands to invest in tech, AI and data capabilities to uncover powerful client insights to help better personalise client journeys and drive decision-making across the organisation.

• LVMH has invested heavily in proprietary AI platforms that analyse everything from browsing patterns and time spent on product pages to engagement with editorial content and social media sentiment
• Farfetch continues to refine its personalisation engine, leveraging AI to match items and construct entire sartorial visions, complete with styling advice and contextual narratives that celebrate the craftsmanship and heritage of each piece
• In September 2025, Ralph Lauren launched Ask Ralph, a conversational AI shopping experience powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI

McKinsey research on agentic commerce suggests that AI agents could mediate 3 trillion to 5 trillion US dollars of global consumer commerce by 2030. ChatGPT already accounts for 16 per cent of Zara's referral traffic, and AI-referred shoppers deliver 84 per cent higher revenue per visit than traditional search, according to Business of Fashion State of Fashion 2026.