Back on trend? H&M makes AI, loyalty drive to ride fashion cycle

A shopper carries a Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) retail bag while walking in the SoHo neighborhood of New York, U.S., on Saturday, March 30, 2019. The U.S. Census Bureau released retail sales figures on April 1. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg

BERLIN/STOCKHOLM: When H&M boosted its shares last month by reporting a rise in the sale of full-price garments, it wasn't just a tribute to the fashion sense of its designers. It was a sign that backroom improvements are at last paying off.

The world’s second-largest fashion group is investing heavily in areas like artificial intelligence and customer loyalty as it looks to improve the way it spots trends and plans logistics, and ultimately reduce discounted sales and piles of unsold stock.