Google's Gemini AI chatbot is now offering users a streamlined shopping experience through new partnerships with major retailers, including Walmart. Announced at the National Retail Federation's annual convention in New York, this integration allows users to browse and purchase products directly within the Gemini interface, eliminating the need to navigate to separate retailer websites.
This move signifies a growing trend in the e-commerce sector, where tech companies are racing to create AI-powered tools that offer a seamless shopping experience. Google's Gemini aims to transform the app into a virtual merchant and shopping assistant.
The integration works by allowing Gemini users to discover Walmart and Sam's Club merchandise while conducting research within the chatbot. When relevant, Gemini will automatically include in-store and online products in response to user queries. For example, if a user asks Gemini for recommendations on winter ski trip gear, the chatbot will suggest relevant items from participating retailers' inventories.
Walmart customers can link their Walmart and Google accounts to receive personalized recommendations based on past purchases. Any products they decide to buy via the chatbot can be added to their existing Walmart or Sam's Club online shopping carts. Furthermore, customers and members can have in-store and club items delivered when and where they want them, with delivery available in under three hours for many locally curated products.
To facilitate these transactions, Gemini offers an instant checkout function that allows purchases to be made through linked accounts and selected payment providers. Initially, payments will rely on Google-linked cards, with PayPal support planned for the future.
Incoming Walmart CEO John Furner and Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who spoke together at the National Retail Federation's 2026 Big Show, emphasized that this collaboration aims to create more intuitive and personal shopping experiences for customers. Furner stated that Walmart is willing to change almost anything to adapt to evolving customer needs, while Pichai noted that AI can improve every step of the consumer journey, from discovery to delivery.
Google has also launched its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard for agentic commerce meant to be used across the shopping journey from discovery to decision. The UCP serves as a unified communication framework that enables seamless integration between AI tools, online stores, and payment systems.
This integration will initially be available to U.S. users, with plans for international expansion in the coming months.
Google's move to integrate shopping into Gemini comes as other tech companies are also exploring AI-powered commerce solutions. OpenAI, for example, launched an instant checkout feature within ChatGPT that allows users to buy products from select retailers. Walmart also partnered with OpenAI to allow shoppers to make purchases using ChatGPT.
These developments suggest that AI is poised to play an increasingly important role in the future of retail, with conversational platforms like Gemini and ChatGPT potentially becoming key shopping destinations for consumers.
