cognaris.ai
DIY & Home Improvement AI

BuildMate AI
Your products. Their next project.

Right now, your customers are asking ChatGPT how to tile a bathroom, fix a leaking tap, or build a deck. It's giving them good advice — and sending them to Amazon to buy the products. BuildMate puts your AI expert inside your app, connected to your real-time stock, recommending your products, and adding to their basket.

Discuss a partnership See how it works
59%
of consumers already use
GenAI for online shopping
£0
of ChatGPT's product
recommendations go to your store
See how it works
The Problem

Your customers ask ChatGPT for project help. It sends them to Amazon.

"How do I fix a dripping tap?" "What paint should I use for my bathroom?" "How much decking do I need?" AI-driven referrals to retail sites grew 304% in 2025. Your customers are already using AI to decide what to buy — but those tools have no access to your product range, no knowledge of your stock, and no reason to recommend you.

59%
of consumers already use GenAI tools like ChatGPT for online shopping — and 1 in 4 say it beats Google for product research
Omnisend / Cint, Aug 2025
304%
growth in AI-driven referrals to retail websites in 2025 — ChatGPT alone up 367% to US sites
Euromonitor International, Mar 2026
73%
of consumers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products — expertise drives loyalty
PwC, Future of Customer Experience

Every time a customer asks ChatGPT for DIY advice, it recommends products with no loyalty to your brand. Your expertise, your product range, your local stock — invisible. The customer gets the advice from AI and buys the products from whoever shows up first. That should be you.

The Danger

ChatGPT can't see the tap. So it guesses — and sends them to Amazon.

A customer asks ChatGPT how to fix a dripping tap. It can't see whether it's a quarter-turn ceramic disc or a traditional compression washer — so it gives a generic answer and suggests they buy parts from Amazon. The customer buys the wrong cartridge, makes a wasted trip, and blames the retailer. Meanwhile, you had the right one in stock 10 minutes away.

Can't see the product — guesses the part type
Recommends generic products with competitor links
No access to your stock, your range, or your store locations
chatgpt.com
ChatGPT
G
ChatGPT
No access to your store or stock
MC
My kitchen tap keeps dripping. How do I fix it and what do I need?
G
You likely need to replace the tap cartridge. Here's what you'll need:
  • Replacement ceramic disc cartridge (~£8–15)
  • Adjustable spanner or basin wrench
  • Flat-head screwdriver
  • PTFE tape
You can find these on Amazon or at your local hardware store.I can't check store availability. Links may be affiliate.
Result: customer buys from Amazon. You lose the sale, the footfall, and the basket.
The BuildMate Difference

Same customer, same question. But BuildMate looks before it answers.

Taps aren't all the same — a quarter-turn ceramic disc is a different part to a traditional washer. ChatGPT guesses. BuildMate asks the customer to snap a photo, identifies the tap type using visual AI, and recommends the exact replacement part from your stock. No wrong purchases. No returns. No wasted trip.

Visual AI identifies the tap type from a customer photo
Matches the exact replacement part from your product range
No wrong parts, no returns, no wasted journey
diy-store.com/buildmate
Visual ID
BuildMate
Powered by Cognaris AI
MC
My kitchen tap keeps dripping. How do I fix it?
BM
I can help with that. Taps use different cartridge types, so before I recommend the wrong part — can you snap a quick photo of the tap? That way I can identify the exact model and match the right replacement.
MC
Photo attached
Customer photo of dripping tap
BM
Visual ID
That's a single-lever monobloc mixer tap with a ceramic disc cartridge — looks like a standard 35mm valve. Easy 10-minute swap. Here's the exact part from your nearest store:
35mm Ceramic Disc Cartridge — Single-Lever
In stock · Aisle 14 · Bristol Longwell Green
£11.98
PTFE Thread Seal Tape 12m
In stock · Aisle 14
£1.29
Add both to basket — £13.27
source: visual match — product database
Tap identified via photo · exact part matched · click & collect available
Ask about your project...
Project Planning

From "I want to tile my bathroom" to a full materials list in seconds.

The highest-value customers are the ones planning big projects. Today they spend hours on YouTube and forums, building a shopping list they take to whoever's cheapest. BuildMate turns that research phase into a checkout — inside your app, from your stock, with expert guidance at every step.

Calculates quantities from room dimensions
Builds a complete materials list from your product range
Flags what's in stock and suggests alternatives for anything that isn't
diy-store.com/buildmate
Project planner
BuildMate
Powered by Cognaris AI
DF
I want to tile my bathroom floor. It's about 2.5m x 1.8m. What do I need?
BM
That's 4.5m². With 10% extra for cuts and waste, you'll need about 5m² of tiles. Here's everything for the job:
BM
Slate Grey Porcelain Floor Tile 600x300mm (5 per box = 0.9m²)
In stock · x6 boxes needed
£23.98/box
Flexible Floor Tile Adhesive 20kg
In stock · x1 bag
£16.50
Anti-Mould Grout 5kg — Grey
In stock · x1
£12.99
+ 4 more items: tile spacers, spirit level, notched trowel, grout float
Add all 7 items to basket — £198.35
Full project · 7 products · all in stock · click & collect ready
Ask about your project...
Visual Intelligence

Snap a photo. Get the right product instantly.

Most customers can't describe what they need in technical terms. They don't know the difference between flexible filler and structural repair compound. But they can take a photo. BuildMate's visual AI identifies the problem from a picture and recommends the exact product — from your shelves, not a search engine.

Identifies damage, materials, and product types from photos
Recommends the right fix, not just the right product
Works with taps, tiles, paint, cracks, fittings — anything visual
diy-store.com/buildmate
Visual ID
BuildMate
Powered by Cognaris AI
KP
I've got this crack in my wall. What do I need to fix it?
Photo attached
Customer photo of cracked wall
BM
Visual ID
That's a common plaster crack — easy fix. You just need filler and a filling knife. Scrape out any loose material, press the filler in, let it dry, then sand it smooth and paint over. Two products, ten minutes:
All-Purpose Filler 600g — White
In stock · Aisle 9 · Bristol Longwell Green
£4.29
Filling Knife 75mm
In stock · Aisle 9
£3.49
Add both to basket — £7.78
source: visual analysis — product database
Crack identified via photo · filler + knife recommended · in stock
Ask about your project...
The Retailer Side

Your buying team sees what customers actually want before they walk through the door.

Every BuildMate conversation is a signal. What projects are trending this week? Which products are being asked for but aren't stocked? Where are customers dropping off because you're out of stock? BuildMate feeds this intelligence back to your merchandising team in real time — turning customer intent into buying decisions.

Project intent data your competitors can't see
Stock gap alerts when demand outpaces supply
Basket conversion and drop-off analytics
Merchandising Intelligence — Weekly Digest
Top project:
Bathroom tiling — 2,340 conversations this week (+38% vs. last week)
Conversion:
64% of project conversations resulted in at least one product added to basket
Avg basket:
£87.40 per BuildMate session vs. £34.20 site-wide average (+155%)
Stock gap:
312 customers asked for tile levelling clips this week — not currently stocked
Upsell:
42% of tap repair customers also purchased silicone sealant when recommended
Retention:
BuildMate users return 2.8x more frequently than non-users within 30 days
Auto-generated from BuildMate conversations. Delivered to merchandising dashboard weekly.
Capabilities

Built for retail, ready for scale

Live Stock

Real-time inventory from the customer's nearest store

Add to Basket

Products added to cart directly from the conversation

Project Expertise

Step-by-step guidance for any home improvement task

Store Locator

Nearest store with stock, aisle location, and click & collect

Voice & Text

Hands-free voice for when you're mid-project

Retail Analytics

Project trends, stock gaps, and conversion intelligence

Omnichannel

In-app, on-site, and in the aisle.

BuildMate works wherever your customers are. Browsing at home on their phone, standing in the aisle wondering which drill bit they need, or planning a project on their laptop. Same intelligence, same product knowledge, same real-time stock — every channel drives purchases to your store.

Mobile app integration

Embedded in your existing app. Customers ask questions, get recommendations, and add to basket without leaving. The AI assistant becomes part of your brand.

In-store QR code access

QR codes on shelf edges and end caps. Customer scans, gets instant expert advice on the product in front of them — plus what else they need to complete the job. No staff required.

Voice mode for hands-free help

Mid-project with dirty hands? Ask BuildMate by voice. It talks you through the next step and tells you what you need without touching the screen.

Website widget

A conversational widget on your website that turns browsers into buyers. Works on desktop and mobile. Live in days, not months.

In-Store QR Scan
Aisle 7 — Power Tools
BuildMate
You're looking at the Bosch Impact Driver set. Great choice. What are you using it for?
Customer
I'm building a garden fence. Will this do the job?
BuildMate
Perfect for fence panels. You'll also want 50mm exterior screws — they're on the next aisle over, bay 3. And if you're setting new posts, I'd recommend the postcrete quick-set concrete in Aisle 12.
Customer
How much postcrete do I need for 6 posts?
BuildMate
One 20kg bag per post, so 6 bags. You've got 14 in stock here. Want me to add everything to your basket for checkout?
Privacy & Data

Your product data stays yours. Always.

Your product catalogue, pricing, stock levels, and customer data are your competitive advantage. BuildMate is architected so your proprietary data never leaves your infrastructure. The AI accesses your inventory via secure API — it never stores, caches, or trains on your product data. Your intelligence stays yours.

Your data never trains the AI

Product catalogue, pricing, and stock data are accessed in real time via API. Cognaris never stores, caches, or uses your data to train models. Your competitive intelligence stays inside your walls.

Customer privacy by design

Customer browsing and purchase history stays within your existing systems. BuildMate accesses only the session context needed to give relevant recommendations.

GDPR compliant

No personal data reaches the AI. Conversation content is processed without identifiers. Full audit trail for compliance teams.

Multi-region ready

Deployed in your preferred cloud region. Supports GDPR (EU/UK), CCPA (US), and local data residency requirements across every market you operate in.

How data flows through BuildMate
1
Customer asks a project question
"I want to tile my bathroom floor. It's about 2.5m x 1.8m."
2
AI generates project expertise
The AI understands the task and calculates requirements — materials, quantities, tools — using general DIY knowledge. No retailer data involved yet.
3
Product matching via your secure API
Requirements are matched against your live product catalogue and stock levels via encrypted API call. Data is read-only and never stored by Cognaris.
4
Customer sees your products, your prices, your stock
The response combines expert project guidance with your specific products, availability, and aisle locations. Add to basket goes straight to your checkout.
Your product data stays on your servers · GDPR compliant · Full audit trail
Interested in integrating BuildMate AI into your retail platform? Book a discovery call
Integration

Four integration paths, one intelligent layer

BuildMate adapts to your tech stack — whether you're a digital-first challenger or a multi-hundred-store operator with legacy systems.

Recommended

Mobile App Integration

Embedded directly into your existing retail app as an AI project assistant. Customers get expert help without leaving the app they already use to browse and buy. Fastest path to incremental revenue.

White-Label

Website Chat Widget

A conversational AI widget on your website that turns browsers into buyers. Works across desktop and mobile. No app download required. Live in days.

In-Store

QR Code & Kiosk

QR codes on shelf edges open BuildMate on the customer's phone. In-store kiosks provide the same experience for those without smartphones. Zero staff overhead.

API

API-First Headless

BuildMate's intelligence layer exposed as APIs. Your engineering team integrates product recommendations, project guidance, and basket actions into any existing touchpoint.

Technology

Connects to your systems, not the other way around

Inventory

Real-Time Stock Integration

  • Connects to your inventory management system via standard retail APIs
  • Live stock levels per store, per SKU — updated in real time
  • Aisle and bay location data surfaced in recommendations
  • Automatic alternative suggestions when a product is out of stock
Intelligence

Product Knowledge

  • Your full product catalogue indexed — specs, compatibility, and use cases
  • Knows which products work together for common projects
  • Understands product hierarchies, substitutes, and trade equivalents
  • Learns from your category team's merchandising rules and priorities
Commerce

Basket & Checkout

  • Add to basket directly from the conversation — products flow to your checkout
  • Click & collect reservation with store and time slot selection
  • Home delivery eligibility checked in real time for bulky items
  • Loyalty card and trade account integration for personalised pricing
BuildMate AI is built on the Cognaris platform, already live and serving real users at scale. We handle the AI — you keep control of your data, your pricing, and your customer relationship.
Next Steps

Stop losing sales
to ChatGPT.

A 30-minute discovery call to walk through your biggest e-commerce and in-store challenges. We'll demo the live Cognaris platform and map what BuildMate AI looks like integrated into your retail experience — across app, web, and in-store.

Book a discovery call

Cognaris Ltd, 2nd Floor, College House, 17 King Edwards Road, Ruislip, London HA4 7AE