Personalized Creative Guidance Now Available with Ask Mike

Michaels, a leading arts and crafts retailer, has unveiled “Ask Mike,” an AI-powered shopping assistant designed to provide personalized creative recommendations. Built on Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, this new tool transforms online shopping into guided dialogues rather than standard keyword searches.

“In a digital landscape where choice is abundant, Ask Mike moves beyond filtering to allow shoppers to simply describe their vision and receive curated recommendations,” explained Heather Bennett, president and chief customer officer at Michaels. Since its rollout in May, the assistant has handled over 75,000 conversations focused on product discovery, party planning, and more.

Key Benefits of Ask Mike:

• Provides real-time creative guidance for a wide range of projects
• Helps customers find inspiration and discover new products
• Offers personalized recommendations based on individual needs
• Acts as a “creative partner” for everything from birthday party planning to home décor projects

The launch aligns with broader trends in commerce where AI is becoming the primary interface for many shoppers. Research indicates that nearly half of all eCommerce customers now use AI tools to research purchases, seeking assistance across multiple retailers and product categories.