Luxury resale platform The RealReal is putting conversational search at the center of its digital storefront.

Following a pilot, the company is expanding Ask TRR, an AI shopping agent developed with Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise, to its full base of 45 million members. Instead of relying on designer names or keywords, shoppers can describe a silhouette, an era or an occasion in plain language and receive tailored recommendations.

The tool is designed for a marketplace where nearly every listing is one of a kind. Because each item disappears once sold and fresh inventory arrives daily, pieces can easily go unnoticed under conventional search.

“The RealReal has changed the way people shop for luxury, and a new generation is embracing resale as a primary way to discover and express their personal style,” said Rati Sahi Levesque, president and CEO of The RealReal, in a statement.

“With more than 1.5 million unique pieces on our site every day, we offer a breadth of discovery that is hard to replicate,” Ms. Levesque said. “Working with Google, we’re meeting customers where they are, making it easier for them to find the one-of-a-kind pieces that are perfect for them.”

Digital clienteling

Shoppers can pose open-ended questions, such as which luxury bag to buy, and the agent responds with suggestions shaped around their intent and preferences.

The RealReal also plans to bring AI-driven recommendations to its product pages, offering context as customers weigh a purchase.

“Fifteen years of proprietary data and luxury expertise give us a unique understanding of our customer,” Ms. Levesque said, in a statement.

“Ask TRR builds on that advantage, enabling precision and specificity whether you start with a designer name, an occasion, or simply an idea,” she said. “Working with Google, we’re meeting customers where they are, making it easier for them to find the one-of-a-kind pieces that are perfect for them.”

Shoppers can pose open-ended questions, such as which luxury bag to buy, and the agent responds with suggestions shaped around their intent and preferences. Image credit: TheRealReal

Google Cloud sees the agent as an online counterpart to the attentive boutique associate.

“In a luxury boutique, the best sales associates remember what you love and know what just came in,” said Darshan Kantak, vice president of product for applied AI at Google Cloud, in a statement.

“The RealReal is bringing that level of service online, to every shopper who visits,” Mr. Kantak said. “That’s where agentic AI in retail is headed: not just answering questions, but understanding people.

The rollout adds to The RealReal’s recent work around AI, including a campaign earlier this year addressing AI-generated fakes (see story).

“By pairing its deep luxury expertise with Gemini Enterprise, the company has built an agent that shops the way its customers think,” Mr. Kantak said, in a statement.