Google has started testing a feature that allows shoppers in India to purchase products from Walmart-owned Flipkart directly through Gemini and Google’s AI Mode. This move marks a significant step for the search giant as it looks to expand its artificial intelligence services beyond traditional product discovery and into actual online transactions.
Under the early test, users are encountering a "Buy" button on select Flipkart product listings that appear within Gemini and Google’s AI Mode. Taping this button initiates a Flipkart checkout flow without requiring the user to leave the AI interface, according to individuals familiar with the matter and an experience observed by TechCrunch.
This initial pilot phase is currently limited to a small group of users and a restricted catalog of products, primarily spanning high-interest categories such as smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories. Other users continue to see standard product listings from Flipkart in Gemini and AI Mode, which lack the integrated option to purchase items directly from the conversational interface.
Google plans to scale up the experience and roll it out more broadly later in October, just ahead of India’s critical festive shopping season. The festive period traditionally serves as one of the most lucrative times of the year for the country’s e-commerce sector, characterized by massive sales events, steep discounts, and a surge in consumer spending.
The ongoing test arrives as Google and its industry rivals, including OpenAI, increasingly integrate commerce capabilities into their conversational AI offerings. These technology companies are striving to move beyond merely answering shopping queries and providing product recommendations, seeking instead to play an active, direct role in facilitating online purchases.
When questioned about the Flipkart test, a Google spokesperson stated that the company is constantly experimenting with new features and experiences to help users discover and connect with businesses more effortlessly. The spokesperson added that the company regularly runs trials of this nature and has no further details to share at this stage.
Google has independently been developing underlying technology aimed at making seamless purchases possible through its various AI services. Earlier this year, the company introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol as an open standard designed to let AI agents interact smoothly with retailers across every stage of the shopping journey, including the final checkout. Google announced at the time that the technology would eventually allow shoppers to buy eligible products through Gemini and AI Mode utilizing a Google-hosted checkout experience. Since that initial announcement, Google has expanded the protocol with additional capabilities, such as allowing shoppers to transfer selected items directly to a retailer’s own website to complete a transaction.
However, the Flipkart test observed by TechCrunch appears distinct from the Google-hosted checkout experience that the Gemini maker previously demonstrated. Instead of a Google-managed payment environment, the interface brings up a distinct Flipkart-branded checkout flow when a user taps the Buy button. It remains unclear precisely what technology powers this particular integration.
Earlier this month, Google formally acknowledged that Flipkart was among the prominent merchants partnering with the company to bring what it terms "agentic" shopping experiences to consumers in India. At the time of that announcement, however, Google had not disclosed specific details regarding the test or its precise rollout timeline.
Google maintains a close financial relationship with Flipkart alongside its broader technology partnership with the e-commerce giant. In 2024, Google invested approximately $350 million in India’s Flipkart as part of a major funding round that was led by U.S. retail giant Walmart, successfully taking a minority stake in the company.
India represents the world’s second-largest internet market, boasting more than a billion internet subscribers. Within this massive digital economy, Flipkart and Amazon compete fiercely for online shoppers, a rivalry that intensifies significantly during the annual festive season when e-commerce platforms roll out their biggest marketing campaigns and sales promotions of the year.
For now, the direct Buy option is not appearing across all retailers surfaced by Google’s AI services. In the experience witnessed by TechCrunch, product listings from rival platforms, including Amazon, appeared alongside Flipkart products but did not feature the option to purchase items directly through the AI interface.
Flipkart did not immediately respond to an electronic mail message requesting comment on the ongoing test and its broader partnership with Google.
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