- Disney Store beta tests new AI personal shopping assistant
- Conversational tool can recommend products, gifts and other items
- I tried him very early, and he knows the Disney universe very well
If you’ve used the Disney Store app recently, you’ll know that it’s received a steady stream of updates over the past few months, from push notifications for limited editions to a faster, easier-to-navigate interface.
Now, Disney Store is taking another step forward with a feature designed to make finding the right product a little more intuitive — and we have an exclusive first look. It’s dubbed Disney Store AI Personal Shopping Assistant, and it’s an AI conversational shopping tool built right into the app. It allows users to describe what they’re looking for in natural language rather than relying on a traditional keyword search, although the standard search experience will remain within the app.
The Shopping Assistant is currently in beta testing for a select portion of users logged into the Disney Store iOS app in the United States. Disney says it will continue to learn from usage and refine the experience over time, with expansion to Android, DisneyStore.com and international markets planned for a later date.
To see how well this works, I first asked her for gift ideas for a niece who loves Jessie from Toy Story, as well as fun toys to go with a classic doll. After a short pause, it returned a set of suggestions tailored to that character, each with brief explanations of why they fit the prompt. Instead of standard search results, it felt more like a personalized recommendation feed.
On the surface, the assistant doesn’t look like a separate feature built into the app. Instead, it is directly integrated into the existing search experience. A new magnifying glass icon with a subtle glow now sits in the upper left corner of the home screen, taking you into search, where Disney prompts users with “Need ideas?” Ask our personal AI shopping assistant.”
Once inside, it transforms into a conversational interface. In my tests, the message opened with: “Hello Jacob, how can I help you?” followed by a handful of suggested prompts to get started. From there, it behaves more like a shopping assistant than a traditional search bar, designed to understand natural language queries, whether you’re searching for gifts, planning outfits for a visit to the Disney parks, or searching for merchandise related to specific characters or franchises.
In practice, it seems responsive and surprisingly aware of the broader Disney universe – not just flagship characters like Mickey Mouse or Stitch, but also more obscure references, newer additions to the catalog, and age-appropriate, park-related suggestions.
“Our goal is always to enhance the guest journey and meet our fans where they are,” said Patrick Sager, vice president of Disney Stores. “By introducing an AI-powered shopping assistant to the Disney Store app, we’re combining storytelling with technology, delivering smarter recommendations, seamless discovery and a more connected experience, making it easier than ever for customers to find the perfect product.” »
Items can be expanded for more details or added directly to a cart, reducing friction between browsing and purchasing. The assistant also encourages exploration with follow-up prompts. After an initial query, it suggests improvements like “show Jessie dolls” or “show more stuffed toys,” helping users refine results without starting over. Of course, you can also write a follow-up or take it in a completely new direction.
Disney says the assistant was developed in-house and built within its own ecosystem of characters, stories and products. No guest data was used during development, and this remains the case going forward.
Beyond the conversational layer, Disney has also incorporated standard usability features: thumbs up/down ratings – which will likely be used to refine the experience over time – the ability to clear chat at any time, and a toggle between light and dark modes.
The Disney Store AI personal shopping assistant looks like an early pilot feature as part of Disney’s broader push toward AI-powered experiences — a feature that follows recently announced AI enhancements to the My Disney Experience app at Walt Disney World, as well as Disney’s departure from its deal with OpenAI.
While these efforts focus on planning and experiences in the parks, the Disney Store implementation brings the same idea to retail. The common thread is that Disney appears to be exploring how AI can support different parts of its ecosystem, using conversational tools to surface products while keeping everything grounded in the characters and worlds that define the brand.
At this point, it still feels experimental in places rather than fully defined, but it’s clear that Disney has thought about how it fits into the existing shopping experience rather than just piggybacking on top of a generic AI chatbot. I’m very curious to see how this evolves as new characters or franchises are introduced, as we see new products launch, and as we get closer to the holiday season. Who knows, maybe Disney will add a deal alert or restock feature.
If you try it, let me know what you think of the experience in the comments below.
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