How Ralph Lauren and Microsoft are shaping luxury retail’s next era

Ralph Lauren Corp. and Microsoft have maintained a 25-year partnership that has quietly shaped the way luxury retail meets the digital world. David Lauren, Chief Branding and Innovation Officer for Ralph Lauren, and Shelley Bransten, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Industry Solutions for Microsoft, offered a rare look at the relationship, and a glimpse of how the next era of customer experience is being built, during a conversation with NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show earlier this month. 

The partnership developed at a time when digital and physical retail were segmented and luxury retail online was unheard of. Until Ralph Lauren stepped into the breach. 

“No one had ever sold a $500 cashmere sweater online,” Lauren said. “No one had ever sold a suit online. And we just thought this would be fun. This would be an interesting way to tell our story.” 

That story revolved around the man and the mystique of Ralph Lauren. “We had this mansion on 72nd Street, which was glamorous with mahogany and chandeliers,” Lauren said. “And the thought was, ‘How can you take that, that storytelling, the richness of that world, and bring it to the internet?’ It seemed so obvious to us that this combination of the marketing sites and commerce, what we call ‘merchantainment,’ the seamless blending, storytelling and commerce, was perfect for Ralph Lauren.” 

Early adoption has been at the core of the retailer since, driven in part by a deep relationship with Microsoft. Late last year, the two organizations teamed up to create Ask Ralph. Built on Microsoft Azure AI and Copilot Studio, “it’s like having Ralph Lauren in your pocket and advising you,” said Bransten, corporate vice president, worldwide industry solutions at Microsoft Corporation. Bransten worked in retail before moving into technology. 

“I remember we had a segment of men that came in once a year. They outfitted themselves completely. They were high-margin customers, but it was really hard to predict when they would come or how they would engage. And I think about now where we are with Ask Ralph. A tool like this would’ve been so incredible to help maintain that conversation because for so long we have been living in retail with sort of clicks and carts, but ultimately … it’s about a conversation and connection. And that’s what this technology does do for us.” 

Ask Ralph is an AI-powered conversational shopping experience that invites consumers to engage with, and be inspired by, Ralph Lauren’s unique and iconic take on style. Currently Ask Ralph is available on the Ralph Lauren app in the United States. Initial shopper response has been positive. 

“As we expand it globally and bring our other brands to it and start to put it across our site and our stores, I think we’re going to get a much richer read on it,” Lauren said. “But I think the beginning is always about being open to learning and not being afraid of what’s not going to work. We were just like, ‘Let’s just get going. And if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, but at least it’ll be a step in the right direction and it’ll get us excited about using AI and exploring partnerships with Microsoft.’” 

It also brought partnerships within Ralph Lauren. Developing Ask Ralph brought the company’s designers into the same room with retail teams and technology experts. 

“We hadn’t all been in a room together working on a project like this,” Lauren said. “So it started to change the dynamics internally. And then the marriage with Microsoft opened up our ways of thinking and our doors where we would be in brainstorms. How could this work? So I think while the customer is connected to it, it’s created a new kind of glue, a new kind of way of synthesizing ideas inside. And I think it’s created some momentum internally.”