Lowe’s wants to do more with AI shopping in 2026

“You’re going to start to be able to take a picture of your kitchen and reimagine it in real time, and go from inspiration to installation,” he said. “It’s going to be almost a Pinterest-type experience. ‘What is your style, what do you like?'”

Rather than use AI as a gimmick, Cano said Lowe’s is focused on figuring out ways to be helpful and build customer trust — like using agentic shopping to surface product recommendations.

Lowe’s is far from the only legacy retail player eager to adopt more AI services to drive more sales. Walmart in October announced people can shop directly within ChatGPT, Target released an app for shopping within the service, and brands from Amazon to L’Oreal now have their own AI assistants.

But at Lowe’s, investing more in AI and personalized curation is just part of an overall e-commerce growth strategy. Online sales grew by 11.4% in the third quarter of 2025, driven in part by more traffic. It also plans to continue to expand its marketplace that launched in the fall of 2024 to help drive more categories. Cano also said Lowe’s will be adding more video content to its product description pages, especially for high-ticket items where shoppers want more confidence in what they’re actually getting.

Cano said the retailer put more resources behind SEO and paid advertising in the last year to help boost traffic, which is starting to pay off, with double-digit growth. But he still sees more ways for Lowe’s to surface products for customers once they’re on the site.

“Helping that customer across that journey and solving problems is our mandate,” he said. “Everything I do is fixing a customer problem, either in-store or offline.”

Polishing AI-powered shopping experiences

Mylow can be accessed on the Lowe’s website or app, and works as a shopping assistant activated by voice or chat. Shoppers can ask specific questions about what they’re looking for and get product recommendations, or start with a certain project in mind. Beyond the product catalog, Mylow can also tap Lowe’s content to help DIYers figure out what they need for a project — whether it’s carpet removal, plumbing repairs or tile installation. Then, Mylow surfaces step-by-step instructions, video guides and links to required products.

Inside its stores, Lowe’s has a version of the service called Mylow Companion for customers with questions about what items to buy or a specific home improvement task.

The service increases in-store customer satisfaction scores by 200 basis points, according to the company’s most recent earnings report, and Cano sees that as a potential growth lever.

“That is a huge way for us to actually get our customers to convert in store,” Cano said.

Cano said the first half of next year will focus on personalizing the website to each specific user, including surfacing recommendations based on first-party data. “If someone goes in and says, ‘What is the best French door refrigerator that has this counter height?’ We actually want to say, ‘From customer ratings, here’s what we are showcasing,’ because it will be the best thing for them.”

Tim Glomb, vp of digital, content and operational AI for transformation at Wunderkind, said the superpower behind Mylow is having access to content from across Lowe’s website. That means it can surface more recommendations for people working on a specific project. He said the company’s omnichannel presence also gives it an edge, as people working on a project at home can use the app to find what they need in-store without having to wait for an online delivery.

Glomb, who has used Mylow and is familiar with contractors who have integrated it into their businesses, said the app is also helpful at recommending items people may forget.

“A consumer is going to have fewer trips back and forth and be able to buy more from a single conversation — which means higher average order value — because the app is suggesting the things you forgot,” he said. “That’s like having a shopping assistant in your pocket, making sure you’re not making three runs to Lowe’s this week.”

However, Glomb believes that some improvements could be made. He said the service shouldn’t be “buried in the app.” Mylow is currently linked from the main navigation bar in the app and in a chat button on the website, but Lowe’s could derive more value from better site placement, he said.

“Personalization on-site matters. There’s a lot of data, and when you get it right, it’s incredibly rewarding,” he said. “It drives loyalty.”

Lowe’s plans for marketplace and video improvements

From a merchandising standpoint, Cano said Lowe’s will continue to expand its online marketplace. Cano said the marketplace has helped Lowe’s react more quickly to real-time trends. One recent example was seeing people want to invest in more cold storage, and being able to secure a broader assortment from marketplace sellers.

“If anything does start to trend on social, we immediately start to bring in that product, and we get it done really, really quickly,” he said.

Lowe’s digital strategy in 2026 also includes more video on product pages, which continues to be a big conversion driver. It’s not universal across the site, but more videos will be showing up on products like higher-end items or appliances like refrigerators, where people want to see the inside of the product.

“We made sure that we’re looking at our top items and providing A-plus content and video on them,” he said.

But across these areas, Cano said the main gauge of success is whether customers can get what they are looking for and continue to come back to Lowe’s.

For example, he said, the company had high repeat rates during Cyber Week, where customers bought something that was on sale, then made a second visit during the weekend to purchase items that weren’t on sale.

“We look at those things: Are they converting? Are they coming back? What is that lifetime value of the customer? And we’re seeing green across the board,” Cano said.