Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®

Episode #790: Replay: Building Stronger Customer Relationships Using AI with Noah Zamansky, Stitch Fix

Date: December 29, 2025
Guest: Noah Zamansky, VP of Product and Client Experience, Stitch Fix
Host: Greg Kihlström

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on how Stitch Fix has been blending artificial intelligence (AI) with human expertise for over 14 years to create highly personalized retail experiences. Noah Zamansky, VP at Stitch Fix, joins host Greg Kihlström to discuss their unique business model, the evolution of their AI-powered tools, the ongoing importance of the human stylist, strategies for building customer trust, and why first-party data and flexibility lay at the heart of customer relationships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Stitch Fix’s Hybrid AI + Human Model

• Noah Zamansky's Background: Noah leads the product and client experience teams (product managers, engineers, data scientists, designers) at Stitch Fix, focusing on tools for stylists and clients to deliver personalized experiences. (02:30)
• Personal Origin Story: Noah was a Stitch Fix client before joining, citing "the simplicity of the quiz" and the "unboxing experience" as reasons for his engagement.

  “From that moment on, I was really hooked. And that’s really what we’re all about: How can we provide best-in-class AI with that human touch of the stylist to create that magical experience?” (03:38)

The Business Model: Personalization is Core

• Model Origin: Stitch Fix combines leading-edge AI with human stylists, leveraging billions of data points from over 100 million fixes. Personalization is embedded from recommendations to inventory planning. (05:18)
• Role of AI through Time: While AI adoption is now mainstream post-ChatGPT, Stitch Fix has focused on AI from the beginning, fueling a recent transformation to meet evolving client expectations. (06:21)

Client Onboarding Evolution

• Transformed Onboarding: The original style quiz felt like a "form at a dentist’s office"—now it’s an interactive, two-way process with micro-feedback moments. (07:13)
• Style File: Launched as a new, AI-powered personalized profile, mapping preferences to 10 style types (e.g., boho, edgy). Clients receive a shoppable, tangible style persona. (08:17)
  • Greg’s style: “I’m a modern prep, according to that.” (08:20)
  • Noah’s: “Mine is an adventure sport which is actually spot on. On the weekends I love to go outdoors.” (08:52)

Engaging the Customer: Micro-Personalization & Trust

• Style Shuffle: Customers weigh in on style likes/dislikes, accelerating AI learning and providing a sense of ownership in the process. (12:17)
• Continuous AB Testing: Multiple daily experiments improve algorithmic relevance and conversion. Explicit contextual “nudges” explain unusual recommendations, boosting user trust. (13:58)

  “When we’re explaining and providing more context around the changes, it acts as an amplifier … driving trust with our clients at the end of the day.” (14:09)

Balancing Automation with Human Experts

• Human Stylists Central to the Experience: Emphasis on empowering stylists with AI tools while highlighting their expertise and empathy. (14:59)
• Innovative Tools:
  • Note Assist: Uses OpenAI’s language models to draft stylist notes, improving efficiency while preserving the stylist’s creative/human contribution. (15:06)
  • Outfits Model: Generates over 1 million daily outfits for both clients and stylists to diversify recommendations. (15:43)
  • Stylist Profiles: Clients now see photos and bios of their stylists, increasing connection and “want you back” retention rates. (16:36)

  “Just having that human connection was really important in terms of how we’re balancing the science and increasingly putting the stylists more in the forefront.” (16:51)

Customer Flexibility & Personalization

• Expanding Customization: Clients now can opt for 5- or 8-item fixes, select stylists, and shop in “fix” or “freestyle” modes (personal shopper vs. direct shopping). (17:39)
• Trend Toward Choice: Most customers desire flexibility and control, and Stitch Fix’s product developments reflect this shift. (18:08)

AI's Expanding Role & the Future

• AI as a Foundation, Not an Add-on: Stitch Fix doesn’t treat AI as a recent addition, but as an intrinsic pillar—now expanding beyond personalization to inventory planning, predictive analytics, and emerging generative use cases. (19:41)

  “We’re seeing AI actually expand to every area of our business now, not just the personalization and the styling experience but how we plan our inventory.” (19:41)

• Generative AI & Multimodal Applications: Visualization, virtual try-on, and dynamic conversations between clients and stylists are future innovations. (20:32)

The Power of First-Party Data and Trust

• Rich Data Relationships: Every purchase, return, and customer feedback deepens understanding. The feedback loop means better future fits—a powerful first-party data model. (21:31)

  “We built this trusted relationship with our client base and they are happy to give that kind of information because they know...the next fix is going to be even better.” (21:36)

• Show, Don’t Tell: Customers willingly share information when they see immediate, tangible value returned (e.g., better-fitting jeans after leaving sizing feedback). (22:59)

Staying Agile in Martech & Product Management (23:38)

• Speed & Flexibility: Urgency in improvement is balanced with a recognition that "any 100% plan...is going to be not 100% right." The ethos is to stay flexible, listen to real-time client feedback, and pivot when needed.
• Innovation Culture: Activities like hack weeks and team experimentation keep Stitch Fix at the industry’s technological edge.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Human + AI Collaboration:

  “The stylists—our humans—are really at the center of who we are...We really want to empower them with the science and give them the tools.”
  — Noah Zamansky (14:59)

• On Customer Trust and Data Sharing:

  “If I’m giving that information...the next fix is going to be even better. And that’s what we try to make. It is continuous learning, continuous improvement.”
  — Noah Zamansky (21:36)

• On Staying Agile:

  “In order to stay agile, you have to be flexible, because you’re going to learn things like next week, tomorrow, that your clients are going to tell you that you have to pivot.”
  — Noah Zamansky (23:48)

• On Tangible Personalization:

  “When your jeans come back...and they just fit better than they ever had and because you’ve given that feedback...that’s real time, that’s super tangible for clients.”
  — Noah Zamansky (22:59)

Notable Timestamps

• [02:30] – Noah’s role and why he joined Stitch Fix
• [05:18] – The business model: blending AI and human stylists
• [06:21] – How AI evolved at Stitch Fix
• [07:13] – Transformation of the onboarding (style quiz to interactive experience)
• [08:17–08:52] – Style File: AI-powered style profiles with examples
• [12:17] – Interactive acquisition and onboarding (Style Shuffle, micro-personalization)
• [14:09] – The importance of context and trust in recommendations
• [14:59–16:36] – Human stylists’ role, Note Assist, stylist profiles, and retention improvements
• [17:39] – Flexibility for customers (5/8-item fixes, freestyle shopping)
• [19:41] – AI’s expansion into all business areas, not just client-facing features
• [20:32] – Generative/multimodal AI and virtual try-on
• [21:31] – First-party data and customer trust
• [22:59] – Tangible value of data-sharing (personalized fit)
• [23:38–24:58] – Staying agile: flexibility, feedback loops, hack weeks

Takeaways for Leaders & Marketers

• AI works best when it augments—not replaces—human expertise in complex customer experiences.
• Continuous feedback, transparency, and context-building are key to customer trust in personalization engines.
• Flexibility is essential: Modern customers expect both personalized guidance and control over their experience.
• A robust first-party data strategy with clear value exchange (improved personalization, better fit) is increasingly critical as privacy concerns and regulations mount.
• Staying agile means planning for change: Even the best plan should accommodate rapid customer and tech evolutions.

Summary crafted in the episode’s original informed, conversational, and practical tone. This thorough recap provides a clear view of Stitch Fix’s advanced customer experience strategy and how AI and empathy intersect for business and CX leaders focused on loyalty and lifetime value.