Vestiaire Collective, a resale fashion platform, is investing in AI-driven technologies and has launched a new search engine. Additionally, two IT veterans have joined the company to help build and execute its global tech strategy.

Vestiaire Collective has appointed Jim Freeman, a former executive from Zalando and Amazon, to its board of directors, where he will serve as an advisor for the company’s long-term digital strategy. Stacia Carr is the company’s new chief technology and product officer.

Carr, who has expertise at Zalando and SoundCloud, will lead Vestiaire Collective’s technology strategy for the resale platform, emphasising AI and sophisticated data analytics “to bring the customer experience to new levels.” Carr, a Berlin native, will answer directly to Vestiaire Collective’s worldwide chief executive, Maximilian Bittner.

These appointments coincide with Vestiaire Collective’s launch of a brand-new artificial intelligence (AI) search engine that converts keyword searches into image pattern recognition to give noticeably more precise and pertinent results and improve user experience overall.

In addition, a new AI-powered price recommendation system with image recognition is being developed by the B Corp fashion resale platform to provide a more user-friendly and customised experience for both buyers and sellers. Later this year, a new feature will be released with the goal of helping sellers identify the ideal price range by providing more relevant comparable items and more accurate price recommendations.

Buyers of Vestiaire Collective will also soon have the option to upload photos in order to look for comparable or exact things, making the discovery process “even more intuitive and fun”.