Best Buy (BBY) UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference summary

Leadership and organizational agility

• Emphasis on core values such as learning from challenge and change, fostering a resilient and adaptable culture.

• Focus on hiring smart talent, empowering teams to solve complex problems, and learning from mistakes to drive continuous improvement.

• Customer-centricity is deeply embedded, balancing physical store experiences with digital investments to meet evolving consumer expectations.

Artificial intelligence and technology transformation

• AI is leveraged at the product level, in agentic shopping partnerships (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini), and for internal process re-engineering.

• Rapid deployment of AI-driven solutions, such as optimizing shipping box sizes, has reduced development cycles from months to days.

• AI-driven call center re-engineering led to a 50% reduction in calls and significant cost savings.

• AI is seen as a growth enabler, improving both customer and employee experiences, and supporting data-driven marketing and support.

Productivity, workforce, and redeployment

• Efficiency gains from AI are balanced with redeployment of talent to strategic areas, including in-store roles and AI strategy.

• Focus on improving employee experiences and reskilling rather than simple cost-cutting.

• AI enables unlocking capacity for new initiatives and better customer experiences, not just cost savings.