Michaels teams with Google on new ‘Ask Mike’ AI shopping assistant
The Michaels Companies Inc. is delivering personalized real-time guidance to its customers.
The specialty arts & crafts retailer has released “Ask Mike,” a new AI-based shopping assistant built with the Google Cloud Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience agentic AI platform. Now live, the tool allows shoppers to describe their creative ideas in conversational language and instantly receive curated, personalized product recommendations on desktop, mobile, or the iOS or Android app.
Since its release in May 2026, Michaels says Ask Mike has generated strong customer engagement with more than 60% of interactions focused on product discovery across its online assortment.
"In just a few weeks, Ask Mike has fueled nearly 75,000 conversations, with our community using the tool for everything from party planning to finding the right materials for their first punch-needle pillow," said Heather Bennett, president & chief customer officer at Michaels. "As the destination for creating and celebrating, we're committed to meeting our customers exactly where they are. Ask Mike is more than just a search tool; it's a personalized creative partner for our customers so they can find what they need to bring their unique visions to life."
Looking ahead, Michaels plans to continue expanding the capabilities of Ask Mike, including future enhancements such as AI-driven product overviews and contextual prompts integrated directly into product detail pages.
Other digital solutions Michaels provides its customers include a partnership with Creative Fabrica, a subscription-based digital crafting download platform that provides users with unlimited access to more than 150,000 premium digital assets, to support a service called Michaels Digital Downloads.
Content available for download includes fonts, illustrations, PNGs, 3D paper crafts, laser cutting files, knitting patterns, and embroidery patterns. The retailer also offers an online marketplace called MakerPlace by Michaels. The marketplace features more than 750,000 curated products from selected sellers, as well as classes and how-to's .
[READ MORE: Michaels debuts third-party marketplace for handmade items]
"Michaels has been building on Google Cloud for years, and Ask Mike is a direct result of that strong foundation — a testament to what's possible when deep infrastructure investment meets the power of Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience," said Paul Tepfenhart, global director, Retail Industry Strategy & Solutions, Google Cloud. "Seeing a retailer move from concept to a production-grade AI in just six weeks is a signal of where the industry is heading. Michaels is showing what it looks like to put AI at the center of the shopping experience, not just as a service tool, but as a true driver of discovery and conversion."
Headquartered in Irving, Texas, The Michaels Companies Inc. operates more than 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada.
