New at Abt: AI Assistant & Alice's Coffee!

It's a new year, and we're already making some changes here at Abt. We figured it was time that we featured them here on the blog so that everyone could see, whether you're a local customer that loves coming into the store or shop online from across the country. First up, it's the technology that's taken the world by storm: AI. And Abt has its own own AI assistant on our website now, too: meet Bolt.

Bolt is an AI chat tool on Abt.com's home page as well as product pages, and it's designed to help answer questions and lead you to products that might be best for you if you're shopping online. While we do have a live chat feature that connects online shoppers with real in-person specialists during business hours, if you're shopping late in the day after our employees go home (or just want to give AI a try), click on Bolt to see what it can do. Find a new refrigerator, ask questions about our address and learn more about Abt's history. We're excited about this new tool and all of the ways it can help our customers find the info that they need on Abt.com. Like all AI assistants, Bolt isn't perfect and may make mistakes, so double-checking your information is never a bad idea. Above is an image of the Bolt AI tool on the homepage, and below you can see it on one of our product pages.

Next up is Alice's Coffee, a coffee shop we've opened up inside our own BlueStar Kitchen. The menu includes espresso treats like affogato (espresso poured over gelato) and vanilla coffee, as well as classic black and decaf coffee. And what's even more exciting is that if you love the espresso, you can recreate it at home: the Jura espresso machine that makes the espresso is for sale at Abt. We're excited to have Abt's coffee shop open for business and bringing beautiful coffees to our customers! Come check out Abt's coffee shop, Alice's Coffee.

So, what's the meaning behind "Alice's Coffee?" Abt's coffee shop is named after Alice Abt, who coincidentally loves a sip of espresso as a nightcap. Alice's Coffee is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day (or 4 p.m. on select days), and you can find Abt's free cookies in the same BlueStar kitchen on the weekends. It's a little something sweet for everyone. And if you know your local ice cream, you'll appreciate this: each affogato uses Homer's cappucino chip flavor for a decadent treat.

Between new online tools and exciting additions to the store, it's been quite a year already...and we're just getting started. Watch out to see more of what Abt has to offer in 2025—it's sure to be exciting!