After adding some shopping features to Gemini at the end of last year, Google is now going one step further. The company recently announced a new standard called Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), which enables a richer shopping experience in chatbot and AI mode of search.
The UCP covers everything from discovery to after-sales support and aims to streamline purchasing for Gemini and Search users. Walmart has now confirmed that it is among the first retailers to adopt the standard, allowing users to browse, compare and purchase Walmart and Sam’s Club products without leaving the chat interface.
In response to shopping-related queries, Gemini will now display both in-store and online products from Walmart and Sam’s Club. Users can purchase these products after linking their accounts, and Walmart will even recommend complementary items based on their previous purchases.
Walmart says the partnership reflects a broader shift toward agent-driven commerce, where AI takes over a larger portion of the shopping journey on behalf of users. According to John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart US, this move represents “the next big revolution in retail” and allows the retailer to “help customers get what they need and want, when and where they want it.”
The new agent shopping experience will initially launch at Gemini in the US before rolling out to additional markets. It’s not immediately clear whether the feature will cover the entire Walmart and Sam’s Club catalogs or will roll out with a limited product selection.
Walmart’s Gemini deal isn’t the first attempt at AI shopping
Gemini isn’t the first AI chatbot to offer an authentic shopping experience for Walmart products. The retailer partnered with OpenAI last year to leverage ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout feature, which allows users to browse and purchase select items in the chatbot.
Gemini may not be the last either, as Microsoft unveiled its agentic commerce experience called Copilot Checkout last week. While the company hasn’t yet announced partnerships with major retailers like Walmart, it has already made a start through integrations with Shopify, PayPal and Stripe.
