Kingfisher Launches AI-powered DIY Assistant

KINGFISHER today launches the first generative AI-powered assistant to support customers with DIY projects.

The virtual assistant answers customers’ DIY queries and provides step-by-step advice on home improvement projects, as well as tailored product recommendations.

Customers can ask the assistant questions in natural language while shopping online. For example, “how do I install a worktop in my kitchen” or “which saw should I choose to cut my worktop?”. The assistant will answer in a conversational way with advice, drawing on a wealth of DIY and product knowledge.

As well as communicating with customers via text chat, the assistant will soon be able analyse photos to perform visual searches says Kingfisher.

The company claims that by uploading a photo the assistant will identify a particular part. Customers can find out the name of a part or a product.

The assistant will initially provide advice in relation to power tools, before being extended to cover a full range of products.

The assistant is capable of operating in multiple languages, and if it proves successful, it will ultimately be rolled out across the Kingfisher Group.

AI Assistant

Tom Betts, Group Data Director at Kingfisher, said: “Whether you’re a DIY novice looking for advice getting started with a project, or an experienced DIYer in need of a technical answer quickly, our assistant will be on hand to support 24/7. We’re hugely excited by the potential of this technology and look forward to seeing the response from customers.”

To power the assistant and support future AI applications, Kingfisher’s data team has developed a framework, named Athena. This will manage prompting and interaction with a range of large language models, as well as other AI tools developed in-house. It incorporates a range of controls to ensure security and protect against sensitive or inappropriate content.

The DIY assistant project builds on initiatives developed by Kingfisher’s teams to harness the power of AI and data. They include AI-powered product recommendation and personalisation engines at B&Q and Screwfix, which are already generating up to 10% of e-commerce sales.

Other AI-driven tools optimise markdowns and clearance, with early pilots at B&Q delivering very encouraging gross margin improvement on clearance products, the company says.

Lastly, an end-to-end supply chain visibility tool is lowering inventory levels and faster replenishment cycles. Live in France, Iberia and Romania, the tool is already showing early success in reducing inventory levels without impacting product availability, Kingfisher says.

>> Read more of the latest roofing news here