Google is testing a shopping feature in India that lets some users buy selected Flipkart products through Gemini and AI Mode in Search, according to TechCrunch.

The test is currently limited to some users and a small selection of products, including smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories. Users included in the test see a “Buy” option on selected Flipkart listings, while others continue to see standard product listings without direct purchasing.

Google plans to expand the experience later in October, ahead of India’s festive shopping period, TechCrunch reported. Flipkart is majority-owned by Walmart and is one of India’s largest ecommerce platforms.

The test extends shopping features that Google has already introduced across Gemini and AI Mode in India. In April, Google added shoppable product listings, comparison tables, prices, and links to retailers inside the Gemini app.

AI Mode in Search also began showing shopping results with product images, prices, reviews, and inventory information. Google said the features use its Shopping Graph, which at the time contained more than 50 billion product listings.

Google links AI product discovery with checkout

Google has been developing infrastructure that connects product discovery with purchasing across its AI services.

At the National Retail Federation event in January, the company introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP, an open standard designed to connect AI services with retailer systems. Google said the protocol would support purchases through AI Mode and the Gemini app while allowing retailers to remain the merchant of record.

Google has since published technical documentation for retailers integrating UCP. The system supports product catalogue access, checkout sessions, account linking, and order updates across Gemini and AI Mode.

Under Google’s native checkout model, users can complete supported purchases through Google while retailers continue to process the transaction as the merchant of record. UCP also supports transfer-to-cart, where users move from Google to the retailer’s site to complete the purchase.

Google said retailers can use existing Merchant Center product feeds as part of UCP integrations. Its developer documentation also states that merchants retain control of customer relationships and data while making products available across AI Mode and Gemini.

UCP supports account linking, allowing retailers to apply existing member pricing, loyalty benefits, and shipping offers for signed-in customers. Google said retailers can choose which parts of the protocol to support.

The company expanded the protocol in March with support for multi-item carts, real-time catalogue information, and identity linking. The catalogue feature allows AI services to retrieve details such as product variants, inventory, and pricing from retailer systems when required.

Google has also introduced Universal Cart, which was rolling out across Search and the Gemini app, with YouTube and Gmail scheduled to follow. For participating retailers, Google said shoppers can check out through Google Pay or transfer items to the merchant’s site to complete the purchase.

Retailers get new AI shopping and marketing tools

Google is also adding AI-specific reporting to Merchant Center. Its AI performance insights show how brands and products appear across AI Mode, AI Overviews, and Gemini, including share of voice, shopping-stage performance, popular product terms, and frequently searched product attributes.

Google’s AI performance reporting also identifies gaps in Merchant Center product data, including missing structured attributes such as size, colour, and material. Google recommends that merchants keep product information updated and complete.

The current AI performance report covers organic traffic rather than paid advertising. Google said the reporting is designed to help merchants see how their products appear across its AI shopping surfaces.

Google has already made Gemini shopping available in English and Hindi in India. AI Mode shopping was initially launched in English, with Google saying Hindi support would follow.

The company has also been encouraging retailers to connect product and checkout systems directly to AI interfaces through UCP. The protocol was developed with companies including Walmart, Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, and Target, according to Google.

Google has also said Commerce Inc, Salesforce, and Stripe are among the platforms working to support UCP.

Google’s UCP requirements vary by integration type. Native checkout requires retailers to configure Merchant Center, Google Pay, checkout endpoints, and order updates, while transfer-to-cart uses a simpler integration that sends shoppers to a pre-populated cart on the retailer’s site.

Google is developing advertising alongside these shopping features. The company is testing new ad formats in AI Mode and expanding Direct Offers, which allows brands to surface promotions while shoppers research products through conversational search.

Google has not said that the current Flipkart direct-purchase test is itself an advertising product.

The Flipkart test remains limited to selected users and products in India. Google has not disclosed how many users are participating or how many products currently support direct purchasing through Gemini and AI Mode.

(Photo by BoliviaInteligente)

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