Cainz: Pioneering Autonomous Retail with Advanced AI & Google Cloud

Cainz, one of Japan’s premier home improvement chains, is on a mission to redefine retail. By creating an autonomous, next-generation store, Cainz is merging the best of online and offline experiences. With advanced AI technologies—including generative AI—the company is delivering a faster, seamless shopping journey that minimizes friction and maximizes customer delight.

“We chose Google Cloud to be easy-to-use, scalable, and innovative technology. We are excited to use generative AI for Cainz. Google Cloud can be used as part of creating the next generation store.”
— Kunie Aoyama, Lead of the Next Generation Store Product Management, Cainz

The Challenge

Cainz faced several significant hurdles in their quest to revolutionize the retail experience:

• Customer Friction at Checkout

‍Traditional checkouts lead to long queues and a subpar shopping experience. Cainz needed a way to eliminate these bottlenecks.

• Bridging Digital and Physical

‍As online shopping offers unparalleled convenience, Cainz aimed to bring that same level of personalization and speed to its brick-and-mortar stores.

• Manual, Repetitive Tasks

‍Routine tasks, such as writing product descriptions, consumed valuable staff time—time that could be better spent on innovation and customer engagement.

• Accurate Forecasting & Personalization

‍Cainz required robust analytics to predict product demand and deliver tailored recommendations, ensuring inventory optimization and personalized customer experiences.

The Outcome

By leveraging Google Cloud’s powerful suite of AI and data analytics solutions, Cainz transformed its retail operations:

• Streamlined Customer Experience

‍The “scan and go” system eradicates checkout delays, allowing customers to complete their shopping quickly and effortlessly.

• Enhanced Data-Driven Decisions

‍With real-time analytics from BigQuery and advanced modeling via Vertex AI, Cainz now accurately forecasts demand and crafts personalized product recommendations.

• Empowered Employees

‍Automation of repetitive tasks through generative AI, specifically Google’s Gemini model, liberates staff to focus on higher-value activities.

• Unified Omnichannel Strategy

‍Seamless integration of online and offline data enables Cainz to deliver a consistent, personalized experience across all touchpoints.

“Generative AI can bring changes to the retail world because customer experience can be changed a lot. Online and offline can be merged together… Through AI and robotics, [employees] can do more meaningful work.”
— Kunie Aoyama, Lead of the Next Generation Store Product Management, Cainz

How They Did It

Cainz’s journey to an autonomous, next-generation store was built on a series of carefully planned and executed steps that leveraged the full power of Google Cloud’s ecosystem:

A. Building on a Scalable, Secure Foundation

• Cloud Infrastructure

‍Cainz began by migrating core applications to Google Cloud, taking advantage of its globally distributed, secure, and scalable infrastructure. This shift provided the essential foundation for handling large volumes of real-time data, ensuring that the system remained robust during peak shopping times.

• Data Integration

‍By centralizing data from various in-store sensors, customer interactions, and online channels into BigQuery, Cainz created a unified view of operations. This integration was key to delivering actionable insights in real time.

B. Empowering Data-Driven Insights and Forecasting

• BigQuery & Vertex AI

‍With BigQuery, Cainz efficiently managed and analyzed vast amounts of transactional and behavioral data. The platform’s serverless architecture allowed for rapid querying, even as data volumes grew. On top of this, Vertex AI was deployed to build and fine-tune machine learning models that forecast product demand and identify emerging trends.

• Real-Time Analytics

‍These models provided Cainz with near-instantaneous insights into inventory needs and customer behavior. This meant that promotions, stock levels, and product recommendations could be dynamically adjusted to meet current market conditions.

C. Integrating Generative AI for Operational Efficiency

• Automation with Gemini

‍Recognizing the burden of repetitive tasks, Cainz piloted generative AI using Google’s multimodal model, Gemini. This advanced AI tool was tasked with generating product descriptions and other content, ensuring consistency and quality while significantly reducing manual workload.

• Employee Focus Shift

‍By automating mundane tasks, Cainz empowered its employees to concentrate on innovation, customer service, and strategic projects. This not only improved operational efficiency but also boosted overall employee satisfaction and creativity.

D. Seamlessly Merging Online and Offline Experiences

• Unified Customer Journey

‍Cainz implemented a “scan and go” system that connects the physical store experience with online data. This system leverages real-time analytics to offer personalized recommendations and targeted promotions directly on customers’ mobile devices.

• Omnichannel Strategy

‍By breaking down silos between digital and physical channels, Cainz ensured that every customer interaction—whether online or in-store—was informed by the same robust data sets. This comprehensive approach helped create a consistent, personalized shopping journey that adapts to each customer’s behavior and preferences.

• Iterative Innovation

‍Throughout the process, Cainz adopted an agile methodology, constantly testing and refining the system. This allowed for continuous improvements based on customer feedback and evolving market demands, ensuring the store remained at the cutting edge of retail technology.

Final Thoughts

Through strategic implementation of Google Cloud’s advanced AI and data analytics solutions, Cainz has successfully redefined the in-store shopping experience. By building a secure, scalable infrastructure, harnessing real-time data insights, automating repetitive tasks with generative AI, and merging online with offline experiences, Cainz is setting a new standard for autonomous, customer-centric retail. This innovative approach not only enhances the consumer journey but also positions Cainz as a leader in the retail transformation landscape.