Macy's Just Confirmed That Ask Macy's Is Converting. Bloomingdale's Is Next.

Macy's launched Ask Macy's in March 2026. On June 3, during their Q1 2026 earnings call, CEO Antony Spring gave it its first publicly disclosed commercial metric.

Spring introduced Ask Macy's in his prepared remarks as a conversational shopping assistant shaped by data and insights from thousands of colleagues, designed to serve as "a starting point for discovery across channels."

Spring said it is in its early days and initial response has been favorable. But in the Q&A, the commercial signal was more specific.

"What I love seeing is the higher conversion rate for the people that are engaging with Ask Macy's," Spring said, in response to an analyst question about AI utilization. "It's giving people a better prompt-driven response to the search that they're looking to complete."

That is a production metric, conversion rate lifting for engaged users, from a tool that only launched in Q1.

The Bloomingdale's Roadmap

"Eventually Ask Macy's will become Ask Bloomingdale's," Spring said, signaling that the conversational shopping assistant is being built as a platform rather than a single-brand feature.

Bloomingdale's is Macy's Inc.'s luxury department store brand, operating under the same parent company alongside the Macy's nameplate. The expansion matters because Bloomingdale's is performing at a different level, 10.2% comparable sales growth in Q1, its highest first quarter sales volume in its 154-year history.

Deploying an AI shopping assistant into a luxury nameplate that is already performing at record levels is a different kind of AI deployment than launching a tool in a distressed banner.

Spring is betting that Ask Macy's infrastructure can serve Bloomingdale's customers at the premium level the brand demands.

Spring also framed AI as a colleague tool, not just a customer tool. "We're also trying to use Ask Macy's as a foundational way to help educate more of our colleagues," he said. "We view AI and humanity working together, and that creates the best possible results."

35 Pilots and the Supply Chain Story

CFO Thomas Edwards provided the most quantified AI portfolio disclosure on the call, confirming that Macy's has 35 active AI tests and pilots running across the enterprise.

"We're really looking to leverage it in customer-facing, helping our associates be more effective in their roles as well as in areas like supply chain," Edwards said.

The supply chain AI work is already showing results. AI is deployed at the China Grove distribution facility, with early efficiency and service gains confirmed.

Edwards also disclosed that Macy's is evaluating AI-powered inventory forecasting and demand replenishment tools, specifically describing them as part of the work to "forecast demand and replenishment" more accurately.

That supply chain dimension is the less visible but more operationally significant AI story on the call. Inventory management accuracy directly determines markdown rates, gross margin, and in-stock performance, the three metrics that underpin Macy's gross margin expansion thesis for the rest of 2026.

Edwards was measured about the investment calculus. "We're good stewards of returns and ROI and very cognizant that AI can be costly to implement as well as providing great benefits on the other end," he said, signaling that the 35 pilots are being evaluated against specific return criteria rather than deployed for their own sake.

The Financial Backdrop

Macy's Q1 results give the AI investment story a strong financial foundation. Net sales reached $4.7 billion, up 1.8% year over year, with comparable sales up 3%, the best first quarter comparable sales performance in four years.

Adjusted EPS of $0.13 came in well above the high end of guidance. The company raised its full-year guidance to net sales of $21.5 billion to $21.75 billion and adjusted EPS of $2.00 to $2.20.

The Reimagine locations, 200 stores representing approximately 60% of the go-forward Macy's store base, delivered 2.4% comparable sales growth and have posted positive comps in eight of the last nine quarters.

Ask Macy's is being deployed into a store fleet that is already demonstrating the commercial viability of the Bold New Chapter strategy. The AI layer is being added on top of a foundation that is already working.