The Home Depot and Google Cloud made it clear that the future of home improvement retail isn’t just digital—it’s agentic.

The companies announced an expanded strategic partnership that introduces a new wave of AI-powered tools designed to deliver real-time, expert-level assistance to both DIY homeowners and professional customers such as contractors, remodelers, and renovators. Built on Google Cloud’s Gemini models and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (CX), the initiative extends Home Depot’s iconic “Orange Apron” expertise far beyond the store floor—into phones, job sites, and even Google Search.

This isn’t about smarter recommendations. It’s about AI that understands intent, context, and complexity—and acts on it instantly.

From Store Associate to Always-On Digital Expert

Home Depot’s vision is an AI-first retail experience that feels native, personalized, and available wherever customers are. By deploying agentic AI across its ecosystem, the retailer is effectively turning decades of home improvement knowledge into a network of digital experts that can reason, guide, and solve problems in real time.

Jordan Broggi, EVP of Customer Experience and President of Online at The Home Depot, summed it up succinctly: the goal is to put Orange Apron expertise in every customer’s pocket—whether they’re standing in a kitchen, on a jobsite, or in an aisle.

Looking ahead, these capabilities won’t be limited to Home Depot-owned channels. The company plans to participate in agentic shopping experiences across Google Search’s AI Mode and the Gemini app, signaling a broader shift toward AI-mediated commerce.

Magic Apron Evolves Into a Conversational Project Partner

The most visible upgrade is the expansion of Magic Apron, Home Depot’s AI assistant. Once limited to product-page support, Magic Apron is now becoming a conversational, project-aware digital companion for both DIYers and pros.

Customers can describe projects in plain language—anything from fixing a leaky faucet to planning a full kitchen remodel—and receive expert guidance, personalized recommendations, and step-by-step advice. Powered by Gemini Enterprise for CX, Magic Apron is also gaining multimodal capabilities, including image uploads and visual guidance to help customers navigate complex projects.

One standout innovation: a localized, in-store Magic Apron experience. Currently piloting in select locations, the AI integrates real-time store inventory and aisle-level product locations. Ask which grout works best for glass tiles, and Magic Apron won’t just explain the difference between unsanded and epoxy—it will direct customers to the exact bay where those products live and suggest complementary items. A national rollout is planned in the coming months.

Faster Quotes and Planning for Pros

For professional customers, Home Depot is rolling out AI-powered materials list builders on its pro digital platform. Contractors can describe a project via voice or text—or upload an existing list—and the agent interprets intent to generate a comprehensive, grouped materials list.

The system even flags commonly missed essentials, helping pros create more accurate estimates in minutes instead of hours. Launched in beta in November 2025, the feature is now scaling nationally, aiming to compress planning cycles and free up time for revenue-generating work.

Smarter Last-Mile Delivery With AI Route Intelligence

The partnership also tackles one of retail’s hardest problems: last-mile delivery. Home Depot is deploying AI-powered route intelligence using Gemini and Google Maps Platform to predict and prevent delivery failures.

By combining customer-specific details—like delivery windows and site constraints—with external factors such as weather, road conditions, and access limitations, the system can identify risks before trucks roll. Multimodal AI analyzes map data to flag narrow roads, gated entrances, or unloading challenges, and will soon recommend the right equipment and crew size for complex deliveries.

The result is a more reliable, consistent experience—especially for large or professional-grade orders.

Conversational AI Replaces Rigid Customer Service

Home Depot is also overhauling customer support across chat, SMS, and voice, replacing menu-driven automation with conversational AI that understands intent and resolves issues in real time. Live today, the platform allows customers to speak naturally instead of navigating endless prompts.

Early results show higher engagement and resolution rates, pushing conversational AI beyond simple issue deflection. The company is now testing next-generation AI voice agents in select stores, freeing associates to focus on high-complexity interactions.

Empowering Associates With Gemini Enterprise

Behind the scenes, Home Depot is equipping thousands of Store Support Center associates with Gemini Enterprise, Google Cloud’s agentic platform for automating end-to-end workflows.

From predicting project bottlenecks to drafting marketing copy and auditing digital designs, specialized agents handle routine execution in seconds. The intent isn’t replacement—it’s leverage. By offloading repetitive tasks, teams can focus on strategy, creativity, and long-term growth.

Why This Expansion Matters

Retail has spent years experimenting with AI at the edges. Home Depot’s expanded partnership with Google Cloud shows what happens when AI becomes core infrastructure—connecting customer experience, operations, logistics, and employee productivity through a single intelligence layer.

As Jose Gomes, VP of Retail & Consumer Packaged Goods at Google Cloud, put it: this is retail moving from product suggestions to problem-solving.

For an industry under pressure to deliver speed, expertise, and personalization at scale, Home Depot’s approach may well set the bar for agentic commerce in the years ahead.

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