The Home Depot and Walmart are deepening partnerships with Google Cloud to deploy agentic artificial intelligence (AI) tools that move beyond product search and recommendations into project planning, purchasing and fulfillment.
The shift has growing implications for both consumer and business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce. The companies made the announcements Jan. 10 at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2026 conference. They show how large retailers are using AI agents to compress discovery, decision-making, ordering and delivery into a single, conversational workflow.
Walmart aimed its initiative primarily at consumer shopping. Meanwhile, Home Depot’s rollout spans both do-it-yourself (DIY) customers and professional buyers such as contractors and remodelers, raising the bar for distributors that serve the trades.
Walmart is No. 2 in the Top 2000 Database rankings, and Home Depot is No. 4. The database tracks North America’s largest online retailers, ranking them by their annual ecommerce sales and more.
How is Home Depot using Google Cloud’s agentic AI?
Home Depot said it is expanding its strategic partnership with Google Cloud to deploy agentic AI tools across its digital platforms, stores and supply chain. The retailer is using Google’s Gemini models and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience to extend in-store expertise into project-level digital assistance.
The effort includes expanded capabilities in its Magic Apron assistant, AI-generated materials lists for professional customers, and new tools to improve customer service and last-mile delivery. Home Depot said it designed the systems around personalization and context. That can include when customers plan projects at home, shop in-store aisles or manage work on jobsites.
For contractors and other professional customers, Home Depot is rolling out an AI-powered materials list feature on its Pro digital platform. The tool allows users to describe a project by voice or text, upload an existing list or share partial information. The AI then generates a grouped bill of materials and flags items that may be missing.
Home Depot said the feature entered beta testing in November 2025 and is scaling nationally this month. The company said it intends for the AI to reduce the time required for estimating and quoting. That would enable contractors to prepare bids more quickly and move faster from planning to execution.
In stores, Home Depot is evaluating a localized version of Magic Apron that connects AI-driven guidance with real-time inventory data and precise product locations. It directs shoppers to specific aisles and bays while suggesting complementary items. The company said it’s piloting the in-store experience in select locations. Home Depot expects it to roll out more broadly in the coming months.
Home Depot is also applying agentic AI to fulfillment. New route intelligence tools built on Gemini and the Google Maps Platform combine customer-specific delivery details with external data such as weather and road conditions to predict and prevent delivery failures. The system can identify potential access issues and recommend appropriate equipment and crew sizes before dispatch.
On customer service, Home Depot said it has deployed conversational AI across chat, SMS and phone channels. That replaces traditional menu-driven systems. It is also evaluating AI-powered voice agents in select stores to manage routine inquiries. Additionally, they allow associates to focus on more complex needs. Internally, the company said it’s equipping thousands of associates at its Store Support Center with Gemini Enterprise to automate routine workflows.
What is Walmart using Google’s agentic AI technology for?
Walmart’s announcement with Google focuses on embedding its shopping experience directly into Google’s Gemini app. It does so using what the companies call the Universal Commerce Protocol. It designed the initiative to make shopping more conversational and integrated, particularly for everyday consumer needs.
Under the partnership, Gemini will surface Walmart and Sam’s Club products when relevant during shopping-related conversations, such as planning seasonal activities or household purchases. When customers link their accounts, Walmart said the system will personalize recommendations based on past online and in-store purchases. It also will combine suggested items with existing carts and apply benefits tied to Walmart+ and Sam’s Club memberships.
Walmart said it intends for the integration to move customers seamlessly from inspiration to purchase within its existing digital environments. That’s instead of redirecting them to separate apps or websites. The experience will also emphasize fast fulfillment. It will have access to locally curated assortments that can be delivered in under three hours, and in some cases as fast as 30 minutes.
The Gemini-based Walmart experience is expected to launch first in the U.S. International markets will follow.
What it means that Walmart and Home Depot are using new agentic AI tools
Taken together, the Home Depot and Walmart initiatives highlight how retailers are using agentic AI to collapse discovery, planning, ordering and delivery into a single interaction. For consumers, the focus is convenience, personalization and speed. And for professional buyers, the emphasis is on faster estimating, fewer errors and more reliable fulfillment. That’s especially the case for pros in construction and home improvement.
For distributors serving contractors and other business customers, the developments underscore rising expectations for digital tools that support quoting, project planning and last-mile execution. As large retailers deploy AI agents that assemble materials lists, anticipate delivery challenges and guide customers through complex decisions, distributors may face increasing pressure to match those capabilities or differentiate through deeper specialization, service and tighter integration with customer workflows.
Home Depot operated 2,356 retail stores across North America as of the end of its fiscal Q3 2025. Additionally, it operated more than 1,200 SRS distribution locations. It employs more than 470,000 associates. Walmart operates more than 10,750 stores globally and reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $681 billion.
Sign up
Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and YouTube.