Michaels rolls out Google-backed AI assistant for online shoppers

Michaels has introduced an AI shopping assistant called Ask Mike, using Google Cloud technology to guide customers through online product searches and project planning. The arts and crafts retailer said the tool has generated nearly 75,000 conversations since its first rollout in May, with more than 60% of interactions focused on finding products.

The company said Tuesday that Ask Mike was built with Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. Michaels said the assistant is intended to give shoppers real-time and personalized guidance as they describe craft ideas, party plans or materials they need.

For retailers, the launch reflects a broader shift in online commerce from keyword search toward conversational product discovery. Instead of entering narrow search terms and filtering results manually, shoppers can describe an intended outcome, such as supplies for a child’s birthday party or fabric for curtains, and receive recommendations tied to that request.

How Ask Mike is being used

Michaels said customers have used Ask Mike for both shopping and creative planning. The company described the tool as a way for users to seek materials, refine project ideas and prepare for celebratory events.

Heather Bennett, president and chief customer officer at Michaels, said in the company’s release that Ask Mike had supported nearly 75,000 conversations within weeks, covering uses from party planning to locating supplies for a first punch-needle pillow.

Bennett said Michaels is seeking to meet customers “exactly where they are” and described the assistant as more than a search tool. She said the company views it as a personalized creative partner for customers trying to find what they need for their projects.

The assistant’s underlying mechanism is similar to other retail AI agents: a shopper enters a natural-language request, the system interprets intent and context, and the retailer can return product suggestions or project-related guidance. Michaels said the objective is to move beyond conventional keyword filtering and help customers translate creative ideas into product choices.

AI agents move closer to commerce

PYMNTS reported that artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming an entry point for shopping activity. Research from PYMNTS Intelligence found that almost half of eCommerce shoppers used AI to research their most recent purchase.

According to PYMNTS, consumers are showing interest in allowing AI agents to search across merchants, compare goods, manage loyalty programs and identify deals. That use case places AI assistants nearer to the top of the shopping funnel, where consumers gather information before deciding what to buy.

Trust becomes more limited when AI tools approach the payment stage, PYMNTS reported. Its research found that consumers want the ability to approve purchases, access to human support, safeguards for personal data and clear options to cancel or reverse transactions.

PYMNTS also reported that merchants see commercial benefits in AI agents, including more tailored offers, stronger loyalty, more repeat purchases and a faster shopping process. The same report said merchants remain cautious about pricing, fraud, liability rules, customer data protection and the risk that agents could direct shoppers to rival sellers.

For Michaels, Ask Mike places generative AI inside a category where customers often shop by project rather than by a single product name. The company’s early usage figures suggest customers are testing the assistant mainly as a discovery tool, while also using it for broader creative planning.

This story draws on original reporting from PYMNTS.