Michaels® Unveils 'Ask Mike' AI Assistant, Built With Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience

New AI agent will enhance product discovery across Michaels.com, from inspiration to purchase

IRVING, Texas, and SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Michaels, North America's leading destination for creativity and celebration, today announced the launch of Ask Mike, a new AI-powered shopping assistant built with Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. Now live on Michaels.com, the tool streamlines the digital shopping experience by delivering real-time, personalized creative guidance – turning the path from inspiration to purchase into a seamless conversation.

In a digital landscape where choice is abundant, Ask Mike transforms shopping from a standard search-driven task into a guided, creative dialogue. By moving beyond traditional keyword filtering, the agent allows shoppers to simply describe their creative vision and instantly receive highly curated, personalized recommendations. Whether on desktop, mobile, or the iOS or Android app, Ask Mike helps customers quickly discover the right products and spark new ideas across Michaels' extensive assortment.

Since its release in May, Ask Mike has generated strong engagement across the Michaels community. Shoppers are leveraging the tool for a wide spectrum of creative and celebratory needs, with over 60% of interactions focused on product discovery across Michaels' wide online assortment. Users are treating Ask Mike as a versatile creative assistant, turning to it for everything from party planning – like "help me plan my child's birthday party" - to finding the perfect finishing touches, such as "I need a fabric for DIY curtains." This ability to share specific, intent-driven requests demonstrates how Ask Mike is transforming the online shopping experience into a personalized conversation that helps shoppers move from inspiration to action.

"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." 

"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."

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.

For more information or to experience Ask Mike, visit Michaels.com.

About The Michaels Companies, Inc.

At The Michaels Companies, Inc., our purpose is to fuel the joy of creativity and celebration. As the leading destination for creating and celebrating in North America, we operate over 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada and online at Michaels.com and Michaels.ca. The Michaels Companies, Inc. also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of custom and specialty framing merchandise. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, Michaels is the best place for all things creative. For more information, please visit www.michaels.com.

About Google Cloud

Google Cloud offers a powerful, optimized AI stack — including AI infrastructure, leading models like Gemini, data management capabilities, multicloud security solutions, developer tools and platform, as well as agents and applications — that enables organizations to transform their business for the Agentic Era. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.

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SOURCE The Michaels Companies, Inc.