Thursday, January 15, 2026
At NRF 2026, Google Cloud introduced Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (CX), a new agentic AI solution designed to unify shopping and customer service within a single intelligent interface. The platform helps retailers, restaurants, and other consumer-facing businesses manage customer interactions across the full journey, starting from product discovery and continuing through post-purchase support.
As customer expectations continue to rise, shoppers now demand fast responses, personalized recommendations, and smooth transitions between digital and human channels. However, traditional chatbots often operate in silos, forcing customers to repeat the same information when switching between websites, mobile apps, and call centers. Consequently, these disconnected experiences reduce satisfaction and strain support teams.
Gemini Enterprise for CX addresses this challenge by acting as a proactive digital concierge that maintains continuous context across every touchpoint. Using Google’s latest Gemini models, businesses can quickly deploy configurable AI agents that understand customer intent, reason through complex requests, and complete multi-step actions with proper consent. Whether assisting with product compatibility, resolving delivery problems, or processing refunds, the agents remain aware of prior interactions, which creates a more fluid and efficient experience for customers while helping businesses drive loyalty and revenue.
According to Google Cloud, the solution also introduces a powerful Shopping agent that goes far beyond standard chatbot capabilities. Instead of simply listing products, the agent uses advanced reasoning to filter options based on specific needs such as size limits, durability requirements, and budget preferences. Additionally, it supports multimodal interactions, allowing shoppers to submit voice commands, photos, or videos. For example, a customer can upload an image of a handwritten recipe, and the agent will recognize the ingredients and automatically add them to the shopping cart while applying eligible discounts. Furthermore, with customer permission, the agent can complete transactions, manage carts, and finalize checkout.
Several major retailers, including Kroger, Lowe’s, and Woolworths, plan to adopt these agentic tools to enhance personalization throughout the shopping journey.
Seemantini Godbole, chief digital and information officer, Lowe's, said:
"Home improvement is inherently complex, so we're using AI to simplify and personalize the experience," and explained how Gemini will enhance Lowe’s digital advisor to deliver guidance tailored to homes, projects, and locations.
Similarly, Yael Cosset, executive vice president and chief digital officer, Kroger, said:
"By bringing together Kroger's long-standing food expertise and Google Cloud's agentic platform capabilities, we're creating a simplified shopping experience for our customers that fits into their day," highlighting how the technology supports meal planning and basket building.
Amanda Bardwell, CEO of Woolworths Group, added:
"Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience is a global game changer for retail," noting that the company is evolving its digital assistant into a predictive shopping partner.
Beyond retail, Google Cloud is also expanding support tools through Customer Experience Agent Studio, which allows companies to build, test, and deploy multimodal support agents at scale. These agents can solve problems across internal systems, analyze trends in customer service, assist live representatives, and automate quality assurance. As a result, organizations can resolve issues faster while freeing human agents to focus on complex cases.
For restaurants, Google Cloud has integrated an enhanced Food Ordering agent into Gemini Enterprise for CX. The agent supports ordering across apps, websites, drive-thru, kiosks, and in-car systems. Papa Johns is the first restaurant brand to deploy the solution, using it to personalize ordering, upsell intelligently, and simplify menu updates across thousands of locations.
Kevin Vasconi, chief digital and technology officer, Papa Johns, said:
"Our partnership with Google Cloud is helping Papa Johns harness the power of AI to bring back the feeling of 'being known' to the pizza ordering experience," emphasizing the focus on personalization and frictionless service.
With strong safety and compliance controls, Google Cloud confirms that customer data is not used to train models and that agents follow strict business policies. Overall, Gemini Enterprise for CX aims to turn everyday interactions into meaningful moments that strengthen relationships and increase long-term value.
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