Michaels has launched Ask Mike, an artificial intelligence-powered shopping assistant developed with Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience.
The AI agent is available through Michaels’ website and mobile applications and is designed to help customers move from a creative idea to relevant product recommendations through a conversational interface.
Instead of requiring shoppers to enter exact product names or filter through numerous categories, Ask Mike allows them to describe a project, celebration or desired result in ordinary language.
A customer could ask for help planning a child’s birthday party, selecting materials for a craft project or finding fabric suitable for homemade curtains. Ask Mike then analyzes the request and recommends products from Michaels’ online assortment.
The tool is intended to make digital product discovery more personalized, particularly for customers who know what they want to create but may not know the names of the materials or tools required.
Michaels launched Ask Mike in May, and the assistant generated nearly 75,000 conversations within its first several weeks.
More than 60% of interactions involved product discovery, indicating that customers are primarily using the AI system to locate merchandise and translate project ideas into shopping decisions.
The remaining conversations included broader creative guidance and planning requests. Michaels sees the assistant as more than a conventional customer service chatbot because it can participate earlier in the shopping process, when a customer is still developing an idea.
Ask Mike was built using Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, a platform designed to help companies create AI agents that interact with customers and business data.
Michaels moved the project from concept to a production system in approximately six weeks. Google Cloud said the deployment demonstrates how retailers can use generative AI as a product discovery and conversion tool rather than limiting it to answering support questions.
The assistant is available across desktop computers, mobile browsers and Michaels’ applications for iOS and Android.
Michaels plans to continue expanding Ask Mike’s capabilities. Future updates are expected to include AI-generated product overviews and contextual prompts placed directly on product detail pages.
These additions could help shoppers understand how a product might be used, identify related supplies and ask follow-up questions without leaving the page.
For Michaels, the system could also provide insight into customers’ intentions and creative interests. Traditional search data may reveal only the individual words a shopper entered, while conversational requests can provide more context about the complete project or occasion.
The retailer operates more than 1,300 stores across 49 U.S. states and Canada. It also operates its e-commerce businesses and owns Artistree, a manufacturer of custom and specialty framing products.
KEY QUOTES:
“In just a few weeks, Ask Mike has fueled nearly 75,000 conversations, with our community using the tool for everything from party planning to finding the right materials for their first punch-needle pillow.”
“Ask Mike is more than just a search tool; it’s a personalized creative partner for our customers so they can find what they need to bring their unique visions to life.”
Heather Bennett, President and Chief Customer Officer at Michaels
“Michaels has been building on Google Cloud for years, and Ask Mike is a direct result of that strong foundation, a testament to what’s possible when deep infrastructure investment meets the power of Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience.”
“Seeing a retailer move from concept to a production-grade AI in just six weeks is a signal of where the industry is heading.”
“Michaels is showing what it looks like to put AI at the center of the shopping experience, not just as a service tool, but as a true driver of discovery and conversion.”
Paul Tepfenhart, Global Director of Retail Industry Strategy and Solutions at Google Cloud
