Google has started testing a feature in India that allows some shoppers to purchase products from Walmart-owned Flipkart directly through Gemini and AI Mode, with a "Buy" button appearing on select Flipkart product listings, according to a report published by NewsCord on September 26, 2026. The button sends users straight to a Flipkart checkout process without exiting the AI interface, marking a shift from product discovery to direct transactions within Google's conversational AI tools. The early test is confined to a limited group of users and a narrow selection of items, including smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories.
The trial remains restricted to certain users and a small range of products, while other users continue to see standard Flipkart listings in Gemini and AI Mode without any direct purchase capability, the report states. Amazon listings appeared alongside Flipkart offerings in the Gemini and AI Mode interface, but Amazon did not provide the option to buy directly through the AI interface, according to the report. Google plans to expand the feature more broadly later in October, timed to coincide with India's festive shopping season, one person told TechCrunch. Google invested approximately $350 million in Flipkart in 2024 as part of a funding round led by Walmart, and the company holds a financial stake in Flipkart in addition to its technology partnership, the report notes.
A Google 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, according to the report. The Flipkart integration observed by TechCrunch appears distinct from the Google-hosted checkout model the company demonstrated earlier, instead presenting a Flipkart-branded payment flow when a user taps the Buy button, the report finds. The underlying technology powering the test remains unclear, and it is not clear what technology powers the test, the report states.
The test builds on Google's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard introduced earlier this year designed to let AI agents interact with retailers across the shopping journey, including checkout, the report explains. Google told shoppers could buy eligible products through Gemini and AI Mode using a Google-hosted checkout experience, and later expanded UCP with other capabilities including allowing shoppers to transfer items to a retailer's site to complete a purchase, according to the report. The Flipkart test seen by TechCrunch appears different from the Google-hosted checkout experience the Gemini maker demonstrated earlier, suggesting Google is exploring multiple approaches to embedding commerce within its AI interfaces, the report notes. The timing of the broader rollout in October positions Google to capitalize on one of India's biggest annual shopping periods, when consumer spending surges across electronics and other categories.
Google's decision to expand the pilot ahead of the festive season signals the company sees commercial opportunity in turning AI chat from a research tool into a transaction platform, the report suggests. The selective inclusion of Flipkart with direct purchase while showing Amazon listings without that capability may reflect Google's financial stake in Flipkart, though the report does not specify the reasoning behind the difference. The test's outcome could shape whether conversational AI becomes a routine path to checkout or remains primarily a discovery layer that hands users off to retailer sites. By blurring the line between search, conversation, and commerce, platforms risk friction if users perceive recommendations as biased toward partners rather than neutral, a tension that will likely grow as more retailers seek similar integrations.