Best Buy Transforms Online Retail with Google Cloud's Vertex AI-Powered Shopping Assistant and Product Intelligence

Best Buy, a leading consumer electronics retailer, struggled to replicate the personalized, consultative experience of in-store shopping in its digital channels. Customers navigated large product catalogs without human-like guidance, and manually reviewing thousands of product reviews created barriers to confident purchasing decisions. The company needed to bridge this gap between digital convenience and the trusted support that drives customer confidence and loyalty in physical stores.

Best Buy implemented Google Cloud's Vertex AI to power three core capabilities that enhanced its online shopping environment. The Gift Finder tool uses large language models to simulate a human shopping assistant, understanding customer preferences and recommending thoughtful products in a conversational interface. The company also deployed Gemini to generate accurate product Q&As directly from manuals and vendor-provided information, reducing the need for manual curation. Additionally, Vertex AI's summarization capabilities automatically condensed thousands of product reviews into concise insights, enabling customers to make informed decisions faster. By integrating these powerful models with in-house solutions, Best Buy achieved rapid deployment without requiring extensive infrastructure overhauls.

The deployment delivered measurable business impact across efficiency, cost, and customer experience. Best Buy accelerated production cycles by automating processes that previously required manual intervention, enabling faster time-to-market for new features. The company developed product Q&As at a fraction of the previous cost, significantly reducing operational expenses associated with content creation. The AI-powered shopping assistant created a human-like interface that personalizes recommendations and increases customer trust during the buying journey. By summarizing thousands of product reviews into actionable insights, the platform streamlined decision-making and improved customer confidence, ultimately increasing satisfaction and optimizing revenue generation.