Google pushes AI ‘agentic’ shopping with Gemini

January 11, 2026 at 19:12 UTC

5 min read

Google Gemini AI agent enables seamless in-chat shopping and instant checkout experience

Key Points

Google launches Universal Commerce Protocol to power AI checkout in Gemini and AI Mode in Search
Walmart, Shopify, Wayfair and others plug into Gemini for in-chat shopping and instant checkout
Kroger and Home Depot adopt Gemini Enterprise for CX to build AI shopping and service agents
New tools aim to shift retail from keyword search to AI agents that act and transact for shoppers

Google debuts Universal Commerce Protocol and AI checkout

At the National Retail Federation’s 2026 conference in New York, Google unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard designed to let AI agents and retail systems work together from product discovery through post‑purchase support. UCP will initially underpin a new checkout feature in Google’s AI Mode in Search and in the Gemini app, allowing consumers in the US to buy directly from eligible retailers while they research products on Google. The system will first use payment credentials stored in Google Wallet, with PayPal integration planned in the future. Retailers and ecommerce platforms including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair and Target helped co‑develop the protocol, and payments firms such as Adyen, American Express, Stripe, Mastercard and Visa have endorsed it. Google says UCP removes the need for bespoke connections to each AI agent by creating a common language that any compliant agent can use, while retailers remain the merchant of record. The company plans to add features such as related product recommendations, loyalty and rewards, and custom shopping experiences on Google over time.

Walmart brings its assortment directly into Gemini

Walmart and Google announced a partnership to integrate Walmart and Sam’s Club shopping directly into Gemini, using UCP as the underlying standard. Customers will be able to discover and purchase apparel, consumables, entertainment and food products available at Walmart and Sam’s Club through Gemini’s browser and mobile app experiences in the coming months. Gemini will surface relevant Walmart items in response to conversational queries, such as advice on camping gear or running shoes, and can assess purchasing intent in broader questions, for example when a user asks how to remove a wine stain. Shoppers will be able to build baskets and complete purchases inside Gemini, with Walmart fulfilling orders. When customers link their Walmart accounts, the retailer will recommend complementary items based on past in‑store and online purchases, merge Gemini orders with existing Walmart or Sam’s Club carts, and apply Walmart+ and Sam’s Club membership benefits. Fresh, frozen and marketplace items are excluded initially, but Walmart expects the assortment to expand. The experience will launch first in the US, with international expansion planned later.

Gemini expands as a multi‑retailer shopping and service hub

Beyond Walmart, Google is positioning Gemini as a broader AI shopping assistant and transaction platform. Google has partnered with retailers including Shopify and Wayfair so that Gemini can answer product‑related questions, pull items from participating inventories and support instant checkout within the chat interface. An instant checkout feature will let users buy from multiple retailers through several payment providers without leaving Gemini. Google says the AI‑assisted shopping features will start in the US before rolling out internationally. The push comes amid intensifying competition among technology companies to control AI‑powered commerce, with Google, OpenAI and Amazon all working on chat‑based experiences that take users from discovery to checkout. Salesforce has estimated that AI influenced about 20% of global retail sales during the recent holiday season, underscoring the scale of AI‑driven shopping behavior that these tools aim to capture.

Retailers adopt Gemini Enterprise for end‑to‑end ‘agentic’ journeys

In parallel with UCP, Google Cloud introduced Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (CX), an agentic platform that combines shopping and customer service in a single interface. The solution includes a Shopping agent capable of complex reasoning, multimodal inputs and executing consented actions such as adding items to carts, handling checkout, resolving fulfillment errors and issuing refunds. Businesses can deploy prebuilt and configurable agents that maintain context across channels and touchpoints. Retailers including Kroger, Lowe’s, Papa Johns and Woolworths plan to use these capabilities to personalize experiences across the shopper journey. Kroger will roll out Gemini Enterprise for CX nationwide to power an integrated Meal assistant and Shopping assistant that can plan meals, build carts based on budget and preferences, and streamline delivery scheduling. Kroger will also use Customer Experience Agent Studio, part of Gemini Enterprise for CX, to analyze customer calls, identify issues earlier and enhance associate productivity.

Home Depot and Honeywell extend AI agents into stores and logistics

The Home Depot expanded its strategic partnership with Google Cloud by deploying Gemini models and Gemini Enterprise for CX across customer and associate experiences. Its Magic Apron tools are being upgraded from simple on‑site assistants into conversational digital companions that provide project advice, personalized product recommendations and, via the Shopping agent, forthcoming multimodal features such as image upload and visualization. A new in‑store Magic Apron experience ties agentic guidance to real‑time local inventory and precise product locations, directing shoppers to specific aisles and bays and suggesting additional materials. Home Depot is also rolling out AI‑powered materials list builders for professional customers, route intelligence that uses Gemini and Google Maps Platform to predict delivery issues, and conversational AI for chat, SMS and phone support. Separately, Honeywell introduced a Smart Shopping Platform built with Google Cloud and 66degrees that uses Gemini and Vertex AI to connect retailers’ digital data with physical stores. Running on Honeywell’s Mobility Edge hardware, it offers in‑store shoppers personalized guidance, product comparisons and substitution suggestions, while giving retailers an out‑of‑the‑box AI solution without requiring in‑house AI teams.

Key Takeaways

Google is turning Gemini into a transactional layer for retail, using UCP to standardize how AI agents connect to merchants, payments and post‑purchase systems.
Major retailers such as Walmart, Kroger and Home Depot are aligning with Google’s agentic tools to embed AI across discovery, checkout, fulfillment and customer service.
AI agents are moving beyond recommendations to execute tasks like building carts, navigating stores and resolving service issues, signaling a shift away from traditional search‑driven ecommerce.