Dunelm put Google's AI on its website search. Searches finding nothing fell below 1%.
Dunelm, the UK homewares retailer, moved its website search to Google Cloud's AI Commerce Search two years ago. In a Google Cloud film from 12 October, a Dunelm product manager says searches that return no results have since dropped below 1%. The film does not give the figure from before the switch.
A shopper typing "scandi style floating shelf" would, in the film's words, "more than likely" have got nothing back. He says retailers "can miss out on millions of pounds a year" when customers land on an empty results page, a general claim with no Dunelm figure attached. Nearly half of Dunelm's sales are now digital.
Dunelm also launched "Ask Dunelm", built on Google's Gemini tools, in its iOS app in August. A shopper photographs a room they like, and the agent names the style and suggests matching products. Google Cloud says it took one month to build. No sales result is published, and the film's living-room scenes are staged.
Fewer empty pages do not prove better matches. The test is whether shoppers buy, and the film gives no conversion figure.
How many searches on your own site end with no results?
🎥 Video: Google Cloud, official YouTube channel, 12 Oct 2026 · narration: AI voice
What the captions say
- Dunelm moved its website search to Google's AI two years ago.
- A search like this would likely have found nothing.
- Now under 1% of searches find nothing, Dunelm says.
- Its new shopping agent took one month to build.
- Shoppers photograph a room they like and upload it.
- The agent names the style and suggests matching products.
- Nearly half of Dunelm's sales are now digital.
- Dunelm wants agents helping its store staff next.
