Independent toy retailer, The Entertainer, will team up with THG Commerce, part of THG Ingenuity, as its new digital commerce partner, accelerating its omnichannel capabilities and unlocking new ways for customers to discover and shop online and in-store.

The multi-year partnership will see THG Commerce design, build and power The Entertainer’s new digital experiences, creating more intuitive, inspiring and personalised buying journeys.

The investment is a further step in The Entertainer’s digital transformation, which seeks to combine the expertise, curation and sense of discovery customers value in its stores with the convenience and personalisation of digital retail.

“Toy retail is a particularly rich discovery environment. Customers arrive with very different missions, from gifting and family purchases to collecting, and technology can play a powerful role in helping them navigate choice and discover the right products,” said Darren Rajanah, Chief Revenue Officer at THG Ingenuity.

The new experience will be designed around different customer missions, from buying for children to gifting occasions, such as birthdays or Christmas. It will include AI-enabled shopping assistance, conversational discovery and intent-led search capabilities to help customers explore thousands of products and find the right choice more intuitively.

“Our ambition is to redefine the experience for anyone looking to discover and buy toys, whether they are shopping for their children, choosing a gift for someone else or buying for themselves,” said Malcolm Carter, Digital & Marketing Director at The Entertainer.

These capabilities will draw on the wider THG Ingenuity collaboration with Google Cloud, which harnesses Vertex AI Commerce Search and Gemini to develop next-generation AI-powered commerce services.

Alongside smarter search and discovery, the new experience will also bring together richer content, curated product journeys and personalised recommendations to inspire customers throughout the purchasing journey.

Additionally, THG Commerce will deliver a new web and mobile experience, together with an enhanced Click & Collect journey designed to create a more seamless connection between digital discovery and The Entertainer’s nationwide store network.

“Partnering with THG Commerce gives us the technology, capability and ambition to reimagine that experience across digital, stores and wherever our customers choose to shop in an increasing AI-centric landscape. This is an important investment in the next generation of The Entertainer and in how we serve our customers,” Carter continued.

The new platform is expected to launch in Spring 2027 and has been designed to provide a foundation for future innovation, including further opportunities across loyalty, retail media and social commerce as The Entertainer continues to develop its omnichannel customer proposition.