Last Updated: 10 January 2025
Retailers today are facing a whirlwind of rising costs, unpredictable supply chains, and high employee turnover. Consumers, meanwhile, expect seamless shopping experiences, whether they’re in a physical store or buying online.
To tackle these problems head-on, Google Cloud is launching a suite of AI-driven innovations showcased at NRF 2025.
These tools are designed to streamline retail operations and improve how stores serve customers. They automate routine tasks, anticipate inventory needs, and help staff access vital information instantly—making everyday workflows more efficient.
"In retail, AI agents are no longer a futuristic concept; they're the present reality, transforming customer experiences from browsing, to buying, and beyond. Today, AI agents are not just recommending products, but also curating personalized shopping journeys, handling returns, and providing instant customer service."
Carrie Tharp, vice president of Global Solutions & Industries at Google Cloud
Google Agentspace is leading the way by giving retailers a single space that combines AI agents, Gemini’s advanced reasoning, Google-grade search, and enterprise data.
Employees can now simply type or ask, “what are the latest features?” to retrieve relevant details, rather than hunting through multiple files or platforms. This approach frees up teams to do what people do best—provide engaging and personable customer service.
Outside of Agentspace, retailers can harness other AI agent solutions like Gemini for Workspace, Vertex AI Agent Builder, and NotebookLM for enterprise.
Each of these is designed to boost employee productivity and keep everyone on the same page with real-time data. Instead of juggling spreadsheets or waiting for updates, teams can tap into AI to stay informed and move projects forward more quickly.
Search is a big part of what makes Google stand out. Vertex AI Search for commerce brings that same core strength to online retail shops. Retailers can now embed Google-quality search, browsing, and recommendations directly into their digital storefronts, letting customers locate products with ease.
A new feature called conversational commerce allows online shoppers to chat in a more natural, human-like way when looking for products. Store associates can also use this feature to answer questions quickly, backed by data pulled from various sources.
This all leads to a smoother shopping journey, which can drive higher revenue and stronger customer loyalty. For instance, Bed, Bath & Beyond reported a 5% jump in revenue per visitor after adopting Google Cloud’s conversational commerce.
Keeping product catalogs accurate and engaging can feel like a full-time job. Google Cloud Gen AI Catalog and Content Enrichment gives retailers new ways to handle data for product descriptions, images, and more. Drawing on multimodal models like Gemini 1.5 Pro, Gemini 1.5 Flash, and Imagen 3, the system enriches product information—such as attributes and copy—to make it more appealing and correct.
With this tool, retailers can show shoppers the information they need, sparking more informed purchasing decisions. This higher-quality data also fuels better search outcomes and helps personalize the shopper experience across different channels.
Retailers are eager to unify the digital and physical sides of shopping. Google Cloud’s connected store solutions enable them to do exactly that. By using services like Google Distributed Cloud, BigQuery, and Vertex AI, retailers can tie together in-store operations and online platforms. The goal is to create an environment where customers can easily explore, compare, and even customize products using interactive media on their devices.
Through the Model Garden, retailers can also leverage more than 160 foundation AI models. Two notable ones are Veo, an image-to-video model, and Imagen 3, a text-to-image model.
These advanced tools empower employees with quick insights and give customers the chance to visualize products more vividly, bridging any gap between the digital and the real world.
