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Give hardware store associates an AI assistant for product location, stock, upsells and technical questions
Eric Hassett, president of Hassett Hardware, an independent with seven stores in California's Bay Area, in Hardware Retailing
Fast Query, an AI tool that gives employees immediate access to information about every product in the store, runs on the stores' Zebra communication devices and on many employees' phones. Associates use it to tell customers whether the store has an item, its price, how many are in stock and where it is. An "Upsell" button pulls associated items and, per the article, it sorts SKU lists by category or store location for restocking, it answers technical questions like how many bags of concrete a pad needs, it gives spoken answers through the communicator, and it shows whether an item is in Ace's warehouse or a nearby store.
Fast Query: price not stated in the article or our data. Our DIY build with a product list: Google Gemini $4.99/mo (Google AI Plus); free plan available · ChatGPT Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo · Claude $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly)
Medium · or we do it from $149/mo
Fast Query
The problem
Associates can't always answer customers' product and technical questions when no expert is around, and new associates are often scared to ask when they don't know.
What happened
Per Hardware Retailing, Hassett says the upsell feature "has proven to be very accurate and helpful to increase cart sizes" but gives no figures, and says the tool "puts limitless information into their hands" and can build new associates' confidence. It can't place special orders. No time or sales figures are given.
Quoted in the source: Eric Hassett, president, Hassett Hardware. Source: Hardware Retailing (NHPA): Retailer Implements Cutting-Edge AI Technology to Improve Customer Service (Lindsey Thompson) (2025-03-25) · Added 2026-10-19.
How to set it up yourself
- What Hassett Hardware does: associates at its seven stores use Fast Query on their Zebra devices and phones to check stock, price and location, pull upsell items, sort restock lists and answer technical questions. Fast Query also connects to Ace's distribution data, so the steps below are our simpler DIY build for a store without it.
- Export a product list from your point-of-sale system (SKU, name, department, aisle or bay, price). Remove cost and supplier details you don't want staff to see.
- In Gemini, open Gems and create a new Gem (or in ChatGPT, start a project) and paste the prompt below into its instructions, then upload your product list. Re-upload it when prices or locations change, because it won't see live stock.
- Before staff use it, test 20 real customer questions, including a product you don't carry. Tell associates to read technical answers like coverage or temperature limits off the product label before giving them to a customer.
Copy-paste prompt
You help associates at {STORE NAME} in {TOWN} answer customer questions on the floor. Use the attached product list (updated {DATE}) for item names, SKUs, prices and aisle locations. Answer in two short sentences. For stock, say this list doesn't show live counts and to check the POS. For add-on items, suggest only products on the list. For technical questions (amounts, temperatures, mixing), give your estimate, show the math, and tell the associate to confirm on the product label. Never invent a product, price or location; if it's not on the list, say [NOT ON LIST] and suggest asking a manager.One short email a day: 3 new AI use cases from real small businesses, each with its source and setup steps, plus a Tool of the Day. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Rather not do it yourself?
We'll set this up in your tools, in your voice, tested. $149/mo with setup included (6-month minimum), or $497 pay-once. Satisfaction guarantee: we'll fix it until it works. Pay-once setups: or we refund your setup fee. $149/mo plan: cancel in the first 30 days and we refund your first month. Terms. We reply within 1 business day.
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