In the age of AI shopping agents, finding a human touch is becoming increasingly rare. ChatGPT is working on positioning itself as a destination for personalized shopping recommendations, while major brands like Gap and Ralph Lauren (among many others) have embraced their own AI assistants. Leading affiliate marketing platform ShopMy is approaching things a little differently. Rather than churning out another AI agent, it’s introducing Noir, a concierge personal shopping experience connecting consumers with real human curators.

Launching on Wednesday, Noir allows shoppers to receive personalized recommendations across product categories, essentially functioning as a “personal shopper in your pocket,” ShopMy Co-founder Tiffany Lopinsky tells Fashionista. Consumers can send in prompts (“I need a floor-length gown for a black-tie wedding,” for example) that are routed to ShopMy’s personal shoppers, who are called “curators” in the platform’s parlance. The curators (content creators with established ShopMy presences) then hand-pick selects for the consumer based on their preferences, budget and previous purchases.

“Adding that human element, […] there’s more value than just the pure monetary value of it,” Lopinsky says. “It’s like, ‘I feel good about this outfit because someone who has expertise gave it to me.'”

Noir is currently an exclusive, free perk for ShopMy’s gold- and black-tier members (a.k.a. the platform’s top spenders), but will be rolling out to more people in the future. Eligible users will receive a specific number matched to their account that they can text with prompts to receive a curated selection in as little as 30 minutes. Of course, the human element adds more time to the process than the instantly gratifying AI chatbot; the trade-off is receiving thoughtful options based on real-life styling skills. Users can also request to work with specific curators, but there is a queue in place to ensure timely responses for any prompt.

Lopinsky likens Noir to traditional brands’ and retailers’ VIC (very important customer) programs, which reward repeat clients with special services: “One of the main perks of being a VIC is having a personal shopper who helps you, who makes recommendations and basically gives you advice and obviously results in you making better and more purchases,” she explains. ShopMy has created a shared VIC program of sorts, as curators can pull from any brand or retailer available on the platform.

With Noir, Lopinsky says ShopMy is “leveraging our network” as the rapidly growing platform boasts more than 185,000 curators worldwide, with many already amassing impressive followings for their own recommendations. As much of today’s brand discovery is still achieved through influencers, Noir helps strengthen ShopMy’s positioning as a bridge between shoppers, brands and creators: Curators receive commission on purchased pieces, consumers gain a personalized shopping experience tailored to their tastes and brands acquire new (or repeat) customers.

“There’s people who enjoy the digging, and then there’s people who don’t,” Lopinsky says. “And I think this is a really good tool for people who don’t, who just want something good and something unique and something custom to them.”

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