Best Buy has started a phased rollout of Ask Blue, a conversational AI shopping and support assistant, according to incoming CEO Jason Bonfig (Retail Dive - Technology). Ask Blue uses product details, customer reviews, item availability, and pricing information to help customers make informed purchasing decisions, with example tasks including comparing products or checking compatibility (Retail Dive - Technology). The AI assistant can also guide customers to self-service options or connect them with a live customer support specialist as needed (Retail Dive - Technology).
Ask Blue is part of Best Buy's broader strategy to enhance the shopping experience through a combination of convenience and speed. For commerce practitioners, this approach demonstrates a hybrid model where AI handles information discovery and initial problem-solving while preserving the option for human escalation—a pattern that balances operational efficiency with customer trust. The deployment underscores how retailers can use conversational AI not as a replacement for support staff, but as a triage and enablement layer that improves both customer experience and team productivity.
Best Buy is also investing in other experiential initiatives, including Meta Labs shop-in-shops at 50 locations, and reported same-store sales growth of 4.1% year over year in Q2 2027 (Retail Dive - Technology). The retailer continues to prioritize integrated digital and physical experiences as a core growth pillar.