Best Buy Expands Omnichannel Footprint With OpenAI Integration

Best Buy Expands Omnichannel Footprint With OpenAI Integration

Best Buy is expanding its omnichannel strategy with new AI tools, digital commerce integrations and smaller-format stores aimed at reaching customers in more places.

During its latest earnings call, the retailer said it has begun rolling out Ask Blue, a conversational AI assistant designed to help customers compare products, check availability and pricing, access reviews and find support resources.

AI Commerce Meets Store Expansion

Best Buy also recently completed a commerce integration with OpenAI, allowing customers to discover products, receive recommendations and complete purchases within ChatGPT.

The move positions Best Buy for a growing shift toward AI-enabled shopping, where product research, recommendations and checkout can happen inside conversational interfaces.

The retailer is also expanding its U.S. third-party marketplace and plans to add international sellers later this quarter. Best Buy said the marketplace is helping broaden its product assortment with new SKUs and categories.

In stores, Best Buy is investing in more experiential formats. The company has implemented more than half of its planned Meta Lab @ Best Buy spaces, which showcase Meta’s AI glasses and virtual reality products with trained in-store staff.

Best Buy is also adding outlet experiences inside existing stores and testing smaller-format locations in markets that cannot support a traditional large store.

The company said these smaller stores are helping drive omnichannel engagement, with customers often starting in-store before moving to the app, digital channels, memberships and services.

The strategy comes as Best Buy reported stronger Q2 FY27 results, with comparable sales up 4.1%. Growth was led by computing, home theater and emerging categories such as AI glasses, trading cards and health rings.

For Best Buy, the next phase of growth is not only about selling electronics. It is about connecting stores, AI commerce, marketplaces and digital services into one customer journey.

Scroll to Top