The company has integrated Vertex AI Search for Commerce into its customer contact centre and in-store tills and has migrated its entire product discovery suite, including browse, recommendations, and personalisation features, to the platform.
Google Cloud is partnering with Toolstation, a UK supplier of tools and building materials, to enhance its digital commerce experience with artificial intelligence. By using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Search for Commerce with Gemini models, the company can better understand and serve its trade and DIY customers.
With a large portion of its business driven through its website and app, Toolstation recognised an opportunity to create a best-in-class product discovery journey.
The company sought to solve a core challenge in its industry: interpreting the complex, trade-specific slang and synonyms its customers use to find products – terms which often led to irrelevant results and required thousands of manual workarounds.
“To be the best partner for our trade customers, our digital storefront needs to be as knowledgeable as our most experienced in-store colleagues,” said Rob Contreras, Head of Innovation at Toolstation.
“Collaborating with Google Cloud has been about more than just implementing new technology; it’s also been strategic to fundamentally understand customer intent.”
“Vertex AI Search for Commerce allows us to deliver a truly intelligent experience that not only drives significant commercial results but also builds deeper trust and loyalty with our customers,” he added.
The company has integrated Vertex AI Search for Commerce into its customer contact centre and in-store tills and has migrated its entire product discovery suite, including browse, recommendations, and personalisation features, to the platform.
“The success of modern retail is built on the ability to understand and instantly respond to a customer’s needs, and Vertex AI Search for Commerce, built with our Gemini models, is designed to do just that,” said Maureen Costello, Vice President, UKI and SSA, Google Cloud.
“Toolstation’s challenge of deciphering specialised customer language is a perfect example. The platform is not just matching keywords; it is also understanding intent at a deep level.”
“This translates directly into better customer journeys, increased loyalty, and tangible business growth. We are thrilled to collaborate with Toolstation to help them build the future of retail.”
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