(image from https://shopgoowill.com)
By Richard H. Levey
ShopGoodwill.com, the online retail operations of Goodwill Industries, has incorporated an artificial intelligence (AI) app into its inventory operations. The tool has enhanced ShopGoodwill’s ability to list items on its website, which incorporates auction-like bidding for items as well as “buy it now” features similar to eBay.
The ShopGoodwill app, which was developed in conjunction with Microsoft Tech for Social Impact, is intended to streamline the process of identifying, imaging, and cataloging offerings. A “vision” aspect of the app, which is built off Microsoft Azure AI services, enables automatic information capture from material labels and merchandise tags. A large language model then guides item descriptions.
The app has proven effective in identifying and classifying hundreds of merchandise categories, including clothing, home goods, jewelry and toys. The app is being used within the more than 130 Goodwill regions that list products on ShopGoodwill. To date, the app has assisted in listing more than 25,000 items on the site.
By simplifying these tasks, a wider swath of the ShopGoodwill’s employee population, including those with disabilities, are able to participate in a greater range of job functions. That number is likely to grow quickly. Leaders at ShopGoodwill believe using the app will increase the number of items listed on the site by between two and five times, furthering the organization’s goals of reducing goods destined for landfills and funding workforce development programs that have trained more than six million people, according to data from the organization.
“AI as a productivity tool is a game-changer for ShopGoodwill.com,” George Burt, chief operating officer of ShopGoodwill.com, said via a statement. “It not only makes the job more accessible for our diverse workforce, but also propels us towards our goal of preventing clothing and other goods from ending up in the waste stream.”
Earlier this year, Goodwill Industries shuttered GoodwillFinds, another ecommerce venture that operated in more of a traditional online retail mode without competitive bidding for items. That initiative, which launched in October 2022, was the target of consumer complaints regarding high item and shipping costs.
ShopGoodwill realized $367.1 million in total revenue for the year ending December 31, 2024. The e-commerce site was launched by Goodwill of Orange County in 1999. More than 74 million items have been sold via the platform and generated more than $2.8 billion in revenue.
