Rudy Lai

AI @ Best Buy

Major electronics retailer
Industry
Last updated
July 3, 2025 at 10:44 AM

Summary

  • Best Buy has steadily integrated AI technologies from Q2 2024 onwards, emphasizing generative AI-driven customer service improvements with partnerships involving Google Cloud and Accenture, supported by CEO Corie Barry's leadership.
  • The company's AI adoption matured through 2025 with agentic AI introduced for broader operational efficiency and delivery tracking, enhanced personalized shopping experiences, and AI-enabled product sales such as AI-powered laptops and voice-activated gadgets.
  • By early 2026, Best Buy focused on AI-enhanced ecommerce and catalog readiness for AI consumption, while leveraging AI-driven customer support and search, although financial growth faced challenges with noted declines in online sales and total revenue.

VIBE METER

More AI announcements = more VIBE
Q1 23Q2 23Q3 23Q4 23Q1 24Q2 24Q3 24Q4 24Q1 25Q2 25Q3 25Q4 25Q1 26Q2 26🔥🔥🔥🔥

5 AI Use Cases at Best Buy

Operational Efficiency
2025
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Costs
Best Buy uses agentic AI internally to improve store operations, empower employees with AI-driven tools, optimize inventory management, and automate routine tasks to reduce costs and improve service delivery. [1]
Personalized Shopping
2025
Customer Facing
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Revenue
Best Buy employs AI to deliver personalized product recommendations, dynamic pricing, and enhanced search capabilities that guide customers through natural language prompts and filters to find more relevant products, improving conversion and satisfaction. [1][2]
Product Sales
2025
Customer Facing
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Revenue
Best Buy markets AI-enabled products such as AI tablets, voice-activated gadgets, and AI-powered laptops, leveraging emerging technology trends to attract new customers and create new revenue streams. [1][2]
Delivery Tracking
2024
Customer Facing
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Best Buy has implemented AI-powered delivery tracking systems that provide customers with minute-by-minute updates on the status of large item deliveries and technician arrivals to enhance transparency and satisfaction. [1][2]
Customer Support
2024
Customer Facing
Traditional
Generative
Agentic
Outcome
Best Buy uses generative AI-powered virtual assistants to handle customer inquiries, including troubleshooting product issues, managing software, order deliveries, and providing real-time agent assistance to improve responsiveness and accuracy. [1][2]

Timeline

2026 Q2

1 updates

Best Buy is part of an initiative to create an AI-ready catalog of products for easier AI digestion, positioning its extensive inventory to better integrate with AI platforms and emerging ecommerce trends.

2026 Q1

1 updates

Best Buy partnered with OpenAI, Google, and Wizard to enhance AI-powered ecommerce platforms aiming to boost sales amid challenges with declining online sales and total revenue. AI stock market interest referenced Best Buy among top AI companies in investment contexts.

2025 Q4

1 updates

Best Buy continued AI-related merchandising, including availability of AI-themed DVDs and blogs discussing the company's resiliency and AI technology integration during the holiday season.

2025 Q3

1 updates

Best Buy highlighted rapid expansion of AI services and smart assistants in its product lineup, exemplified by CoPilot+ PCs and other AI-enabled tech products in-store and online, supporting the tech upgrade momentum.

2025 Q2

2 updates

Best Buy planned to enhance online shopping with AI-powered search featuring conversational filtering and guided prompts to improve product discovery. The company announced intentions to expand agentic AI use across customer service, in-store tools, and operations to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.

2025 Q1

2 updates

Best Buy expanded AI applications to improve operational efficiency and customer engagement through personalized recommendations, dynamic pricing, and AI-powered support. AI-integrated products like AI tablets and voice-activated gadgets were marketed, while partnerships with Accenture showcased generative AI's role in customer and employee experience enhancement.

2024 Q4

1 updates

Retailers including Best Buy leveraged generative AI to assist holiday shoppers, employing AI to generate gift ideas and improve the shopping experience during peak seasons.

2024 Q3

2 updates

Best Buy enhanced customer experience with personalized technology and AI-driven solutions, launching AI-powered delivery tracking systems enabling minute-by-minute updates and better management of orders and memberships. The company eyed AI-enabled devices as a growth lever.

2024 Q2

3 updates

Best Buy launched a generative AI strategy to revolutionize customer service, deploying AI-powered virtual assistants for troubleshooting and support. The initiative included partnerships with Google Cloud and Accenture. CEO Corie Barry publicly discussed upcoming AI-enabled product sales. The approach also coincided with workforce reductions as AI assumed customer service tasks.