Google and Macy’s have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) agent called “Ask Macy’s.”

Using Google’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience offering, the department store operator has launched a beta version of its chat interface, Macy’s AI.

The launch began with “a small percentage of the [retail] site’s users” (which the companies did not disclose) and “thousands” of Macy’s employees. Within a day, the companies said, Macy’s scaled that up to half of its website users. A week later, it scaled up to 100%.

Google and Macy’s announced the agent on April 22, which they said was about five weeks after launching the joint project. They said Ask Macy’s has been live on the Macys.com website for both desktop and mobile, as well as in the Macy’s app for iPhone and Android, since late March.

During beta testing, early data indicated that revenue per visit was about 4.75x higher among consumers who used Ask Macy’s versus those who did not, according to the companies. They said that the data point highlights Ask Macy’s “potential to drive revenue.”

Google and Macy’s show the “Ask Macy’s” AI interface. | Image credit: Macy’s and Google press release

Macy’s is 17th in the Top 2000 Database. The database ranks North America’s largest online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales and more.

Google, Macy’s develop AI agent, Ask Macy’s

The companies framed the Ask Macy’s tool as a way to make it easier for consumers to discover relevant products.

The companies said they sought to replicate Macy’s in-store shopping experience, which they called curated, visually organized and personalized. They called Ask Macy’s “a new digital shopping concierge and a major new leap forward in multimodal, agentic AI technology.”

Macy’s has more than 2.5 million stock-keeping units (SKUs) in its product catalog. Because of how many options consumers have, Macy’s said it “knew it was crucial to solve the customer experience challenge while increasing sales and engagement.” The companies said using agentic AI created an opportunity to upgrade the customer experience by offering a faster shopping flow.

“We wanted to show how technology can remove friction and elevate retail shopping for our customers, to help them feel guided, understood, and confident,” said Chad Westfall, senior vice president of technology product development and customer experience, in the announcement. “We’re bringing the concept of hospitality to online customers at scale.”

Macy’s helped make its AI responses “warmer and more helpful,” according to the announcement.

“For instance, instead of answering a request for recommendations with: ‘Here’s a T-shirt for a 10-year-old,’ Ask Macy’s now answers with something like: ’10-year-olds can have so much fun with color – do you want a brighter or more muted color selection?'”

How long did it take to build the Ask Macy’s AI tool?

The retailer and Google said they launched the Ask Macy’s AI tool in four weeks.

Macy’s had worked for about six months on its own proprietary AI agent for its website, according to the announcement. The retailer then learned about Google’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, which was not available at the start of Macy’s project.

“We realized we needed to pivot immediately,” Westfall said. “The pace of change and innovation in AI left no room to stand still, so we adapted. So, we frankly forwent some of our usual processes in order to go after this with all deliberate haste.”

Google and Macy’s said the retailer set a launch date target of March 24, 2026. That was the same date as the retail industry’s Shoptalk conference.

“At that time, that was less than six weeks away, so the Macy’s and Google Cloud teams sprang into action,” according to the announcement. “On February 9, the assembled teams — dozens of people from both Macy’s and Google Cloud — met for their first daily virtual standup meeting.”

How does the Ask Macy’s AI agent work?

Google and Macy’s said the AI agent is capable of handling text and images. Ask Macy’s also has a virtual try-on feature, they said.

“If the customer uploads a photo, Ask Macy’s can show them how what they’re thinking of buying will look on them,” according to the announcement. “And it can even provide different backgrounds so they can see what it might look like at the office, in a restaurant, or trackside at the Kentucky Derby.”

The companies said Ask Macy’s incorporates data from customer feedback and the product catalog. They indicated that “in the near future” Ask Macy’s will be able to warn consumers if products run large or small and recommend sizes accordingly.

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