By Australian Financial Review
Publication Date: 2026-05-25 23:00:00
“It’s about using AI in a very practical way to complement the advice our team gives every day and expand that into a digital experience that offers more ways to interact with us,” says Schneider.
“Being the first retailer in Australia to launch agent AI on the Gemini platform with Buddy underscores our accelerated use of data and AI to improve the customer experience. We will soon build on this by joining the first wave of local retailers to offer agent commerce directly through Google’s app and browser.”
Early results have been impressive: Bunnings says Buddy has more than doubled conversion rates and is resulting in higher-quality shopping carts as customers purchase entire projects rather than individual items.
From DIY gears to complex financial decisions
In financial services, the same logic is applied to more complex decisions.
Commonwealth Bank, Australia’s largest bank, sees opportunities to use AI across its 18 million customer base, particularly…
