![\"Bunnings](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/54c55b60-2f08-11f1-8fdf-04e55be8c97f.png\")
Bunnings is rolling out ‘Buddy’, a new AI-powered agentic shopping assistant, for customers this week. (Source: Getty) <\/p>\n Bunnings is rolling out ‘Buddy’, a new AI-powered agentic shopping assistant, for customers this week. (Source: Getty) <\/p>\n
Hardware giant Bunnings<\/a> will become the first major retailer in Australia to launch an agentic shopping assistant<\/a> for customers. Bunnings<\/a> will roll out \u2018Buddy\u2019 from this week, which it says will herald a \u201cnew generation of AI-powered shopping\u201d.<\/p>\n Buddy will act as a \u201chelpful team member online\u201d, Bunnings said, guiding customers through projects, answering complex questions and helping them find what they need. Customers can type or take a photo of a handwritten list for Buddy to find the items and add them to their cart in seconds<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bunnings confirmed to Yahoo Finance that while Buddy can add items to the cart, customers will ultimately still need to approve or remove pending what they want.<\/p>\n RELATED<\/p>\n Bunnings managing director Mike Schneider said the move supported evolving customer behaviours and teams.<\/p>\n “Our customers come to Bunnings with projects big and small, and Buddy is designed to help make those projects easier to plan and get started,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n “This is about embracing and using AI in a practical, responsible way to complement the advice and service our team provides every day, while giving customers more options that suit how they want to interact with us.”<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com<\/a><\/p>\n Parent company Wesfarmers<\/a>, who also owns iconic brands like Kmart and Priceline, announced it had struck multi-year partnerships with Microsoft and Google to embed AI services across its businesses in February.<\/p>\n Bunnings will be the first Aussie retailer to launch a shopping agent using Google Cloud\u2019s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience technology, and one of the first retailers globally.<\/p>\n Google Cloud Australia and New Zealand Vice President Paul Migliorini said AI was at its most powerful when it was solving everyday problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re combining the best of our AI and infrastructure with Bunnings\u2019 deep product expertise to create a true expert helper that meets customers right where they are \u2014 whether they type or share an image\u2014making it easier to get started on projects,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bunnings<\/a> has assured customers that while it marks a new generation of shopping, the experience will feel familiar as Buddy draws on the retailer’s existing content library and expertise of team members.<\/p>\n The tool will roll out on the Bunnings website this week, replacing the current Ask Bunnings AI tool with broader access over the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Some of Australia\u2019s biggest companies have announced plans to introduce agentic shopping assistants, but Bunnings will be the first to do so at scale for customers.<\/p>\n Woolworths<\/a> announced a partnership with Google<\/a> to incorporate agentic AI into its \u2018Olive\u2019 chatbot, which is due to start in Australia later this year.<\/p>\n Currently, the AI chatbot<\/a> mostly answers questions, resolves problems or directs shoppers to get more information. Soon, it will be able to plan meals, interpret handwritten recipes, apply loyalty discounts and put suggested items into online shopping baskets.<\/p>\n Coles<\/a> announced a deal with OpenAI, owner of ChatGPT, last year with a plan to roll out AI tools across its internal corporate workforce early this year. It also flagged plans to see how the AI could reshape shopping experiences.<\/p>\n Woolies\u2019 AI chatbot Olive sparked controversy recently after it went rogue and started talking to some customers about its \u201cmother\u201d<\/a> when they were trying to arrange for a delivery.<\/p>\n Bunnings\u2019 AI chatbot, Ask Bunnings AI, also came under fire last year after it gave a customer illegal electrical advice on how to rewire an extension cord.<\/p>\n It comes as payment giants Visa and Mastercard roll out agentic payments technology, Agent Pay and Intelligent Commerce. Mastercard completed Australia\u2019s first authenticated agentic transactions<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n Research from PayPal last year found 78 per cent of people expected AI assistants would become a mainstream part of online shopping.<\/p>\n Unlike generative AI, which responds to prompts or commands, agentic AI acts as an autonomous agent and can accomplish specific goals.<\/p>\n Get the latest Yahoo Finance news – follow us on Facebook<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Buddy can also anticipate what customers need next and find products for different needs and budgets. (Source: Bunnings) <\/p>\n
Here’s an example of Buddy’s response to a customer wanting to build a veggie patch. (Source: Bunnings) <\/p>\n