Meet Buddy: the Bunnings expert making D.I.Y. easier from home

Bunnings is collaborating with Google Cloud to launch 'Buddy', a new AI-powered agentic shopping assistant, becoming the first Australian retailer to launch a shopping agent using Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (CX) solution.

Designed to bring the practical, expert advice customers know from Bunnings team members straight to their screens, Buddy acts as a helpful team member online, guiding them through projects with complete multistep tasks, answering more complex questions and helping them find what they need – all in one place.

Customers can type or take a photo of a handwritten list for Buddy to find the items they need and add them to the cart in seconds. With a simple prompt, Buddy can also anticipate what customers need next and handle complex requests in one go, finding products that match specific needs and budgets.

From this week, Buddy is progressively rolling out on the Bunnings Australia website (bunnings.com.au), replacing the existing ‘Ask Bunnings AI’ tool. It will be available to some visitors to the website initially, with broader access over coming weeks. Buddy is a significant step forward in being able to offer a more conversational and personalised experience to support customers as they browse, plan and purchase.

While Buddy introduces a new generation of AI-powered shopping, the experience will feel familiar to customers, with the same style of practical, helpful advice Bunnings is known for. Much of the guidance Buddy provides is drawn from Bunnings’ existing ‘how‑to’ content library and expertise of its team members, who customers can continue to interact with in store.

Bunnings Managing Director, Mike Schneider, said Buddy is a practical example of how the business is using technology, in this case agentic e-commerce, to support evolving customer behaviours and teams.

"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.

"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."

Paul Migliorini, Vice President, Google Cloud Australia & New Zealand said: "AI is at its most powerful when it’s solving everyday problems, and we’re thrilled to be working alongside an iconic Australian brand like Bunnings to bring that to life.

“Using Gemini Enterprise for CX, we’re combining the best of our AI and infrastructure with Bunnings’ deep product expertise to create a true expert helper that meets customers right where they are—whether they type or share an image—making it easier to get started on projects."

Buddy can help customers search for products, check local price and availability, surface relevant DIY advice and guide them through their project planning - with checkout continuing through the Bunnings online store.

The launch shows significant acceleration of data and AI use across Bunnings to improve customer experiences, streamline work for teams and support long-term growth, taking the business from digital laggard to being a pioneer of e-commerce in Australia.

Buddy is designed to operate responsibly, with clear guardrails and consent-led customer interactions guiding how it operates.

Following the initial rollout of Buddy on the Bunnings Australia website, further enhancements including customers being able to talk to Buddy, and rollout to New Zealand are planned through 2026.

ENDS 

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