Cognizant and Google Cloud Bring Agentic AI to Retail's Most Critical Customer Moments with Gemini Enterprise

Powered by Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, the new offering gives retailers a purpose-built path from AI investment to contact center impact.

TEANECK, N.J., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) announced the launch of Agentic Retail CX, a new AI-powered contact center solution built on Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (CX). Designed specifically for retailers, the solution helps brands deliver personalized, omnichannel experiences while reducing operational costs, improving employee productivity and accelerating the adoption of agentic AI across the retail value chain.

Retail customer expectations are evolving quickly, and brands face mounting pressure to provide fast, seamless and personalized experiences across every touchpoint. According to a 2024 Forbes study¹, 81 percent of consumers prefer companies that offer personalized experiences, and 70 percent say it matters that brands recognize their history across interactions – making personalization a baseline expectation in retail.

As retailers work to meet these expectations, technology investments often fall short as structural barriers, like omnichannel integration, limiting value. With the contact center market set to grow more than 13 percent annually from 2025 to 2031, according to Lucintel², Cognizant Agentic Retail CX applies Cognizant's AI Builder approach which is designed to help retailers move from AI investment to measurable impact, based in their deployment choices and oversight.

Among the first contact center solutions purpose-built for agentic AI at enterprise scale, the offering combines Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for CX with Cognizant's retail expertise to bring AI-driven capabilities that assist human-led workflows into live customer environments. The result: a 70-85 percent containment rate through robust AI self-service, seamless omnichannel engagement, hyper-personalized recommendations and proactive outreach across abandoned carts, promotions and feedback capture, driving loyalty and efficiency at scale.

"Retail customers don't need more channels, they need less friction, and the contact center is a moment of truth for a brand; a place where trust is either earned or lost," said Ben Wiener, Global Head of Cognizant Moment. "Cognizant Agentic Retail CX, built on Gemini Enterprise for CX, brings agentic AI into that moment in a way that reflects how people actually want to be treated: faster resolution, smarter assistance and a human advisor who's better equipped thanks to AI.  When retailers get that right, efficiency and loyalty will follow."

The solution draws on a deep and active collaboration between Cognizant and Google Cloud, one built around translating AI capability into retail outcomes that enterprises can deploy, measure and scale.

"Agentic AI has the potential to transform the retail sector and deliver better outcomes for consumers and retailers alike," said Victor Morales, Vice President, Global System Integrators Partnerships, Google Cloud. "This partnership demonstrates how Gemini Enterprise for CX, combined with Cognizant's deep industry and AI expertise, can help retailers modernize their customer service and deliver the personalized, efficient experiences that build lasting loyalty."

Early client usage underscores the solution's impact. Ocado Retail, a leading online grocery and delivery company, has leveraged Gemini Enterprise for CX to support the delivery of exceptional contact center operations.

"Gemini Enterprise for CX has been instrumental in helping us redefine what a modern, AI powered customer experience looks like for our business. By bringing conversational intelligence, and real-time insights into our operations, we've been able to elevate customer engagement across every touchpoint. This transformation reflects our commitment to smarter, simpler journeys for our customers - made possible through the strong execution and expertise of Cognizant," said Kieren Johnson, Head of IT, Ocado Retail.

Cognizant Agentic Retail CX is the latest in a growing portfolio of joint solutions developed through Cognizant and Google Cloud's strategic collaboration, bringing together retail domain expertise and AI infrastructure to help retailers close the gap between AI investment and customer impact. It builds on Cognizant's standing as a Google Cloud Diamond partner – the highest tier in the Google Cloud partner program – and accompanies Cognizant's announcement of a dedicated Gemini Enterprise Practice established jointly with Google Cloud. This longstanding collaboration was also recently recognized with a Google Cloud Partner of the Year 2026 award in two categories: Global Data & Analytics and Services & Industry Solutions: Healthcare & Life Sciences.

Cognizant was also recently recognized as a Leader in the Everest Group Google Cloud Services PEAK Matrix^® Assessment 2026, reflecting strong market impact, vision, and capabilities, as evaluated by the leading analyst research firm Everest Group. Visit Cognizant's Google Cloud Partner page to learn more.

About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is an AI builder and technology services provider, building the bridge between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization's unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, realize tangible returns and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant.

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¹"The Personalized Customer Experience: Consumers Want You To Know Them,"
April 14, 2024, Forbes.com.

² "Omnichannel Call Center Service Market Report: Trends, Forecast and Competitive Analysis to 2031,"
July 2025, Lucintel.

SOURCE Cognizant Technology Solutions