Technology and Science · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Google Tests Direct Flipkart Buying Through Gemini And AI Mode In India
Google tests Buy button in Gemini and AI Mode enabling direct Flipkart checkout in India Limited pilot with select Flipkart products, smartphones, electronics, rolling out October before festive season
Whether Google frames the test as shifting AI from discovery to transactions.
8 of 10 outlets skipped it: techCrunch observed Amazon listings alongside Flipkart but without direct buy.
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IIndian Express
“evolve its AI-powered services from product discovery to enabling transactions”Read the original ↗
FourWeekMBA adds a deeper agentic-commerce interpretation beyond the pilot details.
Gemini adds Flipkart Buy
Google began testing a feature in India that lets some shoppers buy products from Walmart-owned Flipkart directly through Gemini and AI Mode, with a “Buy” button on select Flipkart product listings. The “Buy” button takes users directly to a Flipkart checkout flow without leaving the AI interface, and the early test remains limited to some users and a small selection of products including smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories. Google plans to roll out the experience more broadly later in October ahead of India’s festive shopping season, one of the people told TechCrunch.
Google’s spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company is “always testing new features and experiences to help people discover and connect with businesses more easily,” while the company has no further details to share. Other users continue to see regular product listings from Flipkart in Gemini and AI Mode without the option to buy them directly from the AI interface.
Selective rollout, Amazon gap
Amazon listings appeared alongside Flipkart products in the Gemini and AI Mode interface, but Amazon did not offer the option to purchase directly through the AI interface. The test remains limited to a small group of users and a narrow range of products, and other users continue to see standard Flipkart listings without any direct purchase option. The product selection currently covered by the test includes smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories, while the underlying technology powering the test remains unclear.
Google plans to expand the feature more broadly later in October, timed to coincide with India’s festive shopping season. Google invested approximately $350 million in Flipkart in 2024 as part of a funding round led by Walmart, and it said Google holds a financial stake in Flipkart in addition to its technology partnership.
Universal Commerce Protocol context
Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) earlier this year as an open standard designed to let AI agents interact with retailers across the shopping journey, including checkout. Google told shoppers could buy eligible products through Gemini and AI Mode using a Google-hosted checkout experience, and it said Google later expanded UCP with other capabilities including allowing shoppers to transfer items to a retailer’s site to complete a purchase. Google has since expanded UCP to include features such as allowing shoppers to transfer items to a retailer’s own site to complete a purchase, broadening the technology’s scope beyond a Google-hosted checkout experience.
The Flipkart integration observed by TechCrunch appears distinct from that Google-hosted checkout model, instead presenting a Flipkart-branded payment flow when a user taps the Buy button. The Flipkart test seen by TechCrunch appears different from the Google-hosted checkout experience the Gemini maker demonstrated earlier, and it said it is not clear what technology powers the test.