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Google is testing a new AI-powered shopping experience in India through Walmart-owned e-commerce platform Flipkart, as Google explores ways to let shoppers move from product discovery to purchase without leaving its AI platforms. The pilot allows select users to buy Flipkart products through Google Gemini and AI Mode.
The test comes as Google and other technology companies expand AI services beyond product recommendations and into online transactions. The feature is currently limited to some users and a small selection of products.
Users included in the test can see a ‘Buy’ button on selected Flipkart product listings appearing in Gemini and Google’s AI Mode. Tapping the button takes shoppers directly to a Flipkart-branded checkout flow, allowing them to complete the purchase without separately opening Flipkart and searching for the product.
The early test covers products including smartphones, electronics and mobile accessories. Other users can continue to see Flipkart listings through Gemini and AI Mode, but without the direct purchase option.
Google reportedly plans to expand the experience more broadly later in October, ahead of India’s festive shopping season.
The Flipkart experiment appears different from Google’s earlier work on its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard designed to allow AI agents to interact with retailers across the shopping journey, including checkout.
Google had previously said eligible products could be purchased through Gemini and AI Mode using a Google-hosted checkout experience. The Flipkart test instead takes users to a Flipkart-branded checkout, while the technology powering the integration has not been disclosed.
Earlier this month, Google identified Flipkart as one of the merchants partnering with it to bring what it calls ‘agentic’ shopping experiences to consumers in India.
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Google also has a financial relationship with Flipkart. In 2024, Google invested about USD 350 million in the e-commerce company as part of a funding round led by Walmart, taking a minority stake.
For now, the Buy option is not available across all retailers. In the test, Amazon listings also appeared alongside Flipkart products, but did not offer the same direct purchase option through Google’s AI interface.
