Google is rolling out a suite of AI shopping updates just ahead of the holiday season. The company unveiled a host of new tools and features, including conversational shopping in Google Search, new shopping features within its Gemini app, agentic checkout, and an AI tool that can call local stores to find out if a product you want is available.
The company believes the additions will help improve the online shopping experience, which can still involve a lot of drudgery. Vidhya Srinivasan, VP and GM of ads and commerce at Google, explained that shopping should not be so tedious and can feel a lot more natural and easy. The goal is to hold on to the fun parts of shopping, like browsing and serendipitous discovery, while skipping all the tedious, hard parts.
One update will allow consumers to ask shopping questions in AI Mode, Google’s conversational search feature that lets you use natural language queries. The responses will be tailored to your question, and the chatbot will provide images when you need visual inspiration, alongside other details like price, reviews, and available inventory. For example, if you were looking for cozy sweaters in autumn colors, you would see photos of the options. If you were comparing items like skin care products, Google may instead return insights in a comparison table.
Google noted that AI Mode is powered by its Shopping Graph, which includes over fifty billion product listings, with two billion of those updated every hour, ensuring the inventory information you see is usually up-to-date.
Another shopping update will enable the Gemini app to provide fleshed-out ideas as responses, instead of just text suggestions, to shopping-related questions. This is only available to users in the United States currently.
The company confirmed that consumers using AI Mode will see sponsored listings, but as the features are still experimental, these ads will not appear in the Gemini mobile app just yet.
Notably, Google is rolling out agentic checkout within Google Search in the United States, including in AI Mode. The feature is currently compatible with merchants like Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and select Shopify stores. To use agentic checkout, you can begin by tracking an item’s price to be notified if the price drops to fall within your budget. You can then opt to have Google purchase the item for you on the merchant’s website using Google Pay. The company says it will always ask your permission first and will have you confirm your purchase and shipping details.
Lilian Rincon, VP of product management for Google Shopping, stated that this is helpful for shoppers because they do not have to constantly check to see if an item is on sale. It is great for retailers because it brings back the customer who might otherwise have moved on. Agentic checkout is built on Google’s trusted shopping graph and also Google Pay, so you can rest assured that you are seeing accurate results and that your payment information is secure.
Another AI feature can call businesses on your behalf to find out if a store carries a product, its price, and any promotions. The feature is built on Google’s Duplex technology, its Shopping Graph, and its payments infrastructure. After you provide information about the product you are looking for, the AI will call local stores and make inquiries, then come back to you with a summary of its findings.
This feature is rolling out now in the United States for specific categories like toys, health and beauty products, and electronics. To use it, you can search for products “near me,” then use the option “Let Google Call.” The AI will then walk you through questions about the items you are searching for.
The company says it is being mindful of how merchants will experience these calls, and it will make sure the chatbot will not call too often and is clear about the questions it asks. Retailers can choose to opt out of receiving such calls. Those who do not opt out will first hear Google disclose that it is an AI calling on a customer’s behalf and will only proceed when the recipient of the call says it is okay.
Google executives planned to demo the technology during a press briefing, but Wi-Fi issues on their end led them to abandon the demo before it was completed.