Google Cloud launches AI shopping assistant that can handle purchases from start to finish
Google Cloud has introduced Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, a new AI platform that combines shopping assistance and customer service into a single system. Announced at NRF 2026 in New York, the technology is being adopted by Kroger, Lowe's, Woolworths, and Papa Johns.
The platform's Shopping agent handles complex purchasing decisions and can take action with customer consent, including adding items to carts and completing checkouts. When a shopper describes specific needs – like a velvet sofa in emerald green that resists pet hair under 90 inches – the agent filters products based on durability ratings, checks dimensions, and stays within budget. It processes images, video, and voice inputs. A customer could photograph a handwritten recipe, and the agent would read it, identify ingredients, add them to the cart, and apply discounts.
The system maintains context across all touchpoints, from product discovery through post-purchase support. If someone contacts support about an unsatisfactory beauty product, the agent can perform shade-matching, arrange a replacement from local inventory, and apply credit in one interaction.
Lowe's is using it to enhance its home improvement advisor Mylow with personalized guidance. Kroger plans to use it for meal planning and shopping assistance. Woolworths is evolving its assistant Olive to anticipate customer needs and spot relevant specials. Papa Johns is deploying the Food Ordering agent across mobile apps, websites, phone systems, kiosks, and in-car ordering.
Google Cloud's Customer Experience Agent Studio lets businesses build support agents quickly using existing chat transcripts and documents. A drag-and-drop interface enables employees without engineering backgrounds to create AI agents in days. The platform supports over 40 languages.
This technology connects the entire customer journey rather than handling isolated tasks. For consumers, this means fewer repeated explanations when switching between a company's channels and faster issue resolution. Instead of typing keywords into search bars, customers can describe needs in natural language or show images. The system's ability to understand context and take action means fewer steps between discovering a product and completing a purchase. For customer service, multimodal capabilities – including reading photos of damaged items – could reduce the typical back-and-forth required to resolve issues.
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The platform's Shopping agent handles complex purchasing decisions and can take action with customer consent, including adding items to carts and completing checkouts. When a shopper describes specific needs – like a velvet sofa in emerald green that resists pet hair under 90 inches – the agent filters products based on durability ratings, checks dimensions, and stays within budget. It processes images, video, and voice inputs. A customer could photograph a handwritten recipe, and the agent would read it, identify ingredients, add them to the cart, and apply discounts.
The system maintains context across all touchpoints, from product discovery through post-purchase support. If someone contacts support about an unsatisfactory beauty product, the agent can perform shade-matching, arrange a replacement from local inventory, and apply credit in one interaction.
Lowe's is using it to enhance its home improvement advisor Mylow with personalized guidance. Kroger plans to use it for meal planning and shopping assistance. Woolworths is evolving its assistant Olive to anticipate customer needs and spot relevant specials. Papa Johns is deploying the Food Ordering agent across mobile apps, websites, phone systems, kiosks, and in-car ordering.
Google Cloud's Customer Experience Agent Studio lets businesses build support agents quickly using existing chat transcripts and documents. A drag-and-drop interface enables employees without engineering backgrounds to create AI agents in days. The platform supports over 40 languages.
This technology connects the entire customer journey rather than handling isolated tasks. For consumers, this means fewer repeated explanations when switching between a company's channels and faster issue resolution. Instead of typing keywords into search bars, customers can describe needs in natural language or show images. The system's ability to understand context and take action means fewer steps between discovering a product and completing a purchase. For customer service, multimodal capabilities – including reading photos of damaged items – could reduce the typical back-and-forth required to resolve issues.
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