Home Depot Rolls Out AI Shopping Assistant to All 2,000-Plus U.S. Stores

Quick Facts

Magic Apron is now live in all 2,356 Home Depot U.S. retail locations, accessible via the company’s mobile app or in-store QR codes.
The AI tool handles millions of questions per month and directs customers to exact aisle and bay locations in real time.
A separate AI phone agent pilot across 50 stores resolved customer calls four times faster than traditional phone menus.

The Home Depot has brought its Magic Apron AI assistant into every U.S. store, giving shoppers access to real-time, location-specific product guidance from their phones. The company announced the expansion Thursday, calling it one of the first localized AI agents of its kind in retail.

Shoppers can reach Magic Apron through Store Mode in the Home Depot mobile app or by scanning QR codes posted in stores. The tool accepts text, voice-to-text, and image-based queries and responds in multiple languages.

The assistant pulls live inventory data tied to a customer’s selected store and directs them to the specific aisle and bay where a product sits. Customers can also check availability at nearby locations from the same interface.

Magic Apron launched in March 2025 as a generative AI suite for the company’s website and app. It handled product search, how-to guidance, and review summaries. The in-store rollout integrates those capabilities with physical store maps and real-time inventory, built on top of the Store Mode feature Home Depot introduced in 2022.

Jordan Broggi, executive vice president of interconnected retail, said the goal is speed and confidence at the shelf. “Magic Apron takes the best of our digital expertise and brings it into the physical store, creating a more connected shopping experience that helps customers find products, get project guidance and make decisions faster,” he said.

The company has been building out its AI stack through a partnership with Google Cloud, announced at NRF in January 2026. Home Depot is among the first retailers to deploy Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise at scale, using it internally to automate workflows, draft marketing copy, and audit digital assets at its Store Support Center.

In April 2026, the company launched AI voice agents to handle inbound customer calls to U.S. stores. A 50-store pilot showed the system identified the reason for a call in under 10 seconds and resolved it four times faster than traditional phone menus. Customers are routed to a human associate when needed.

Magic Apron is also targeting the company’s professional customer base. AI-powered product list builders, launched in beta in November 2025 and scaled nationally, let contractors generate materials lists and quotes faster. Home Depot has added project management tools to its digital Pro platform as well.

The implications for distributors are direct. A contractor who can describe a project, build a materials list, confirm local availability, and move toward purchase through a single app has fewer reasons to call a sales rep or visit a counter for routine orders. Home Depot is compressing those steps into one interface.

Chief Information Officer Angie Brown said the company’s focus is matching the right tool to the right moment. “It’s creating the experience that works for a variety of different customers, across a variety of different journeys, and meeting them in the moment for what they need,” she said.

Broggi made clear the company does not see AI as a replacement for store associates. “Our associates remain at the center of the shopping experience, and Magic Apron gives customers another way to access guidance and support while they’re in our stores,” he said.

Home Depot operates 2,356 retail stores and more than 1,200 SRS locations across all 50 states and internationally, employing over 470,000 people.