Google is piloting a new feature in India enabling shoppers to purchase products from Walmart-owned Flipkart directly within its AI services, Gemini and AI Mode. Select users see a “Buy” button on certain Flipkart listings including smartphones, electronics, and accessories, allowing them to complete checkout without leaving the AI environment. This limited trial covers a small segment of products and users, with Google planning broader availability by October in time for the country’s major festive shopping season.

This development marks Google’s push to expand its AI’s commercial capabilities beyond product discovery to actual transactions, competing with other companies like OpenAI that are also enabling commerce through AI platforms. Unlike a previously announced Google-hosted checkout experience tied to its Universal Commerce Protocol, this test redirects buyers to Flipkart’s own checkout process. The technology underlying this new buying feature has not been publicly detailed by Google.

Google’s partnership with Flipkart is both technological and financial. In May 2024, Google invested approximately $350 million in Flipkart as part of a funding round led by Walmart, acquiring a minority stake. As India represents the world’s second-largest internet market with fierce rivalry among e-commerce players like Flipkart and Amazon, this AI-driven purchasing test is an important move to capture a slice of the expansive online shopping audience, especially during peak sale periods.

Currently, the direct purchase option appears limited to Flipkart products, while competing platforms like Amazon still only show listings without buy buttons in Google's AI interface. Google confirmed it routinely tests new experiences to connect people with businesses but has not disclosed detailed plans or timelines beyond the expected wider launch of this feature later in October. Flipkart has yet to comment on the trial publicly.