Observed Signal · Jul 30, 2026 · Product Launch · Source: Retail Dive · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Kohl's launches AI shopping assistant
Kohl’s has launched an AI shopping assistant for its online site and mobile app to improve product discovery and customer support. The assistant aggregates deals, offers personalized product recommendations, compares items, performs searches using customers’ uploaded images, answers promotion queries, tracks online orders, connects to customer service, and supports buy-online-pick-up-in-store workflows. The tool builds on Kohl’s April Gift Finder and the company is leveraging Google infrastructure (including Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience) to power conversational product discovery. The move follows similar AI assistant rollouts by other major retailers such as Macy’s, Michaels and Lowe’s. Kohl’s recent Q1 results showed a 1.7% dip in net sales and a $14 million net loss for the quarter.
Major national retailer launching an AI shopping assistant and leveraging Google Cloud signals broader retailer adoption of conversational AI for commerce and personalization, with implications for customer experience and first‑party data strategies.
Track Google Cloud Signals & Market Shifts in Real-Time
Polaris7 autonomous intelligence agents track regulatory filings, primary sources, executive changes, and deal flow 24/7. Create your free Explorer workspace to monitor these entities.
Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Kohl’s launched an AI shopping assistant for its online store and mobile app (announced in a press release).
- The assistant aggregates deals, provides personalized recommendations, compares multiple products, and searches for items using customers' uploaded images.
- It can respond to promotion queries, track online orders, connect shoppers with customer service, and assist with buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) services.
- Kohl’s previously launched a Gift Finder in April that used Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, and the retailer is leveraging Google infrastructure for the expanded tool.
- Kohl’s reported a 1.7% year-over-year dip in net sales in Q1, comps declined 1.1%, and net loss narrowed by $1 million to $14 million for the quarter.
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mapped“The tool used Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience to offer customized gift ideas based on the recipient’s hobbies, inte...”
“Gray clouds over a Kohl's store, with an entrance to Sephora....”
“This website is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, a global network that informs, influences and connects the world's technology buye...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Kroger’s AI Shopping Assistant Launches With Ads
On August 6, 2026, Kroger launched an AI shopping assistant across most of its grocery banners (excluding Harris Teeter), deploying it on Kroger websites and mobile apps. Built with Cooklist and integrated into Kroger Precision Marketing, the assistant surfaces product listing ads alongside organic recommendations; paid placements are labeled as sponsored and were included at launch. Advertisers with existing product-listing campaigns can appear in assistant results without additional setup, and brands can track campaign performance inside the tool. Kroger positioned the assistant as a way to leverage its growing retail-media business, first-party transaction data, and recent e-commerce momentum—its retail-media profit rose more than 20% year over year in Q1 while e-commerce sales were up 19%—as competitive advantages for advertisers, and emphasized improved measurement and integration for brands.
Kroger AI Shopping Assistant Drives Larger Baskets
Kroger reported that customers using its AI-powered shopping assistant are adding more items to their carts, contrary to expectations. The tool, launched in July across Kroger's websites and apps, helps with meal planning, recipe discovery, and cart building based on budgets and dietary needs. Yael Cosset, Kroger's EVP and Chief Digital Officer, discussed the basket size growth at Groceryshop 2026. Kroger is integrating more personalization features, leveraging its loyalty data from over 63 million households. The retailer also uses AI for demand forecasting and operational functions. Kroger partners with Google Cloud for Gemini Enterprise to power the assistant. The article also mentions similar results at Albertsons and increased conversion from AI-referred traffic per Adobe Digital Insights. Kroger's retail media business, Kroger Precision Marketing, is integrating sponsored products within the assistant.
Macy’s launches Ask Macy’s AI shopping assistant
Macy’s has deployed an AI-powered shopping assistant called Ask Macy’s on its ecommerce site after roughly six months of development and a rapid beta. The project was re-based onto Google’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience in collaboration with Google Cloud. During beta tests Ask Macy’s drove 4.75× higher revenue per visit among users (per Google Cloud). The assistant scans Macy’s full product catalogue, asks follow-up preference questions, and includes a virtual try-on that can superimpose items onto uploaded photos. The initial joint project began in early February 2026; a beta launched to test shoppers and employees four weeks later, with staged rollout to half site traffic before full release.
Track Real-Time Market Signals & Shifts
Set up custom watchlists to receive automated, evidence-grounded executive digests whenever material signals or shifts occur across your tracked landscape.