homie AI wins the BHB Industry Award 2026 in the category "Best of Communication"

An Evening at the International Hardware Fair in Cologne

As part of the BHB Forum at the International Hardware Fair, the BHB Industry Award 2026 was presented. Since its inception in 2001, the award has honoured outstanding achievements in the areas of product and process innovation, communication, and sustainability – and it is now one of the most established awards in the industry after 15 presentations.

This year, homie AI received the award in the category "Best of Communication." The decision was made by an independent expert jury consisting of representatives from science, trade, and design – including specialists from toom DIY market, Hornbach, the EBS Business School, and the red dot Award.

What Impressed the Jury

Dr. Robert Wiegand, Director of Marketing at REWE Group and toom Baumarkt GmbH, justified the jury's verdict with the following words:

"homie AI revolutionises direct communication with customers on the shop floor. It simultaneously serves as a valuable tool that helps staff and, in many situations, perhaps also empowers staff to deliver excellent advisory services in personal conversations. One of the last USPs of brick-and-mortar retailing. The solution can be easily integrated into deeper processes, thus forming the foundation for holistic, interconnected site communication. Conclusion: A communication offensive that reduces complexity and creates real added value for staff and customers."

What particularly pleases us about this feedback: The jury evaluated not only the product but also the concrete benefits – for customers, but also for staff on the shop floor. That has been our approach from the very beginning.

Why Communication in Retail is a Real Challenge

Anyone planning a DIY store or specialist retail project today faces an ever-increasing influx of information: hundreds of products, various use cases, individual requirements.

At the same time, physical retail often has too few staff available to provide in-depth advice to every customer. Online, a significant portion of users abandon the purchasing process because they cannot find a quick, relevant answer to their questions.

The result: Purchasing decisions are delayed, shopping baskets remain smaller than possible, and trust in the retailer suffers. For retail companies, this means not only lost revenue – it also means that one of their most important differentiating features compared to pure online commerce is under pressure: personal advice.

How homie AI Solves This Problem

homie AI is an AI-powered advisory assistant that addresses where traditional search and static FAQs leave off. The solution works across channels – in the online shop, via QR codes in the physical market, on POS terminals, and as an internal knowledge tool for staff. Advisory services on the shop floor – with no waiting time. A QR code at the shelf is sufficient: customers scan it with their smartphones and receive immediate, tailored advice for their situation. homie knows the product range, understands complex questions – such as the right dowel for a specific substrate or the suitable wall colour for a damp bathroom – and provides concrete product recommendations.

The POS terminal takes on the same task directly in the market without requiring staff to be available.

Empowering Staff, Not Replacing Them

homie AI was not developed to keep people out of the advisory process. It was developed to enable them to provide even better advisory services. Staff can access the entire product range and all relevant information in real time – homie AI acts as a digital colleague who is always available and never forgets a question.

Online Advisory That Truly Converts

In e-commerce, homie takes on the role of the advisory conversation: It answers questions in seconds, suggests suitable products, and reduces drop-offs. Our partnership with hagebau shows what this means in practice: More than 80 percent of users are satisfied with the advice – and the system has grown since then.

A Platform That Grows With You

What particularly justifies the award in the category "Best of Communication" is the architecture behind homie AI: The solution is not designed as an island solution, but as a foundation for interconnected site communication. Advisory data becomes useful, assortment gaps become visible, and the platform can be integrated into existing systems – from shop systems to internal knowledge databases.

What This Award Means to Us

We are delighted with this award – not least because it comes from professionals within the industry. That experts from toom, Hornbach, and the EBS Business School deemed this approach worthy of an award reconfirms what we have pursued since the founding of homie AI: that communication in retail is not a peripheral issue, but a strategic core field.

Our thanks go to the entire homie AI team, our customers – including HORNBACH, hagebau, and BAUHAUS – and everyone who has accompanied us on this journey.

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