Walmart and Google have teamed up to add advanced shopping features inside Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot. This makes Gemini capable of helping you choose a product, add it to the cart, and even pay for it without leaving the chat.
As you can see, online shopping is changing so fast with the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI). So, let’s learn more about this to see how this works.
The evolution of Gemini
Google wants Gemini to evolve and be more than just a tool to answer questions, the idea is to make Gemini a virtual seller. To make this possible, big companies, like Walmart, Shopify, and Wayfair, have started working on this.
Thanks to this connection, Gemini can search product inventories from these stores. This means that if you ask Gemini what you need for a specific activity, it can recommend real products available for purchase.
The system works in a very intuitive and natural way, as if you were talking to a shop assistant who guides you step by step.
How this system works
There are some key aspects about this new online shopping experience:
- Smart recommendations: if you ask something like ‘’what do I need for camping this weekend?’’ Gemini analyzes the catalogs of the stores associated (like Walmart) and it offers you ideal suggestions for that activity.
- Deep personalization: if you connect your Google account to your Walmart accounts, Gemini can offer more accurate suggestions based on past purchases. For example, if someone often buys electronics or baby products, Gemini will keep that in mind when making recommendations.
- Cart integration: when you see a product you like on the chat, you can add it directly to your Walmart or Sam’s Club’s cart without leaving the conversation. This makes the process much faster and with no interruptions.
Shopping and paying instantly
One of the biggest updates is the ability to complete purchases directly inside the Google app without visiting an external website. So, this new feature allows users to:
- Select products.
- Add them to their cart.
- Choose a payment method.
- Finish the purchase.
At first, payments will only work with cards linked to the user’s Google account, but the company confirmed that PayPal support is coming soon.
This announcement was made at the National Retail Federation (NRF) annual convention in New York, one of the most important events in the retail industry.
Why this change matters
This innovation comes at a time when AI is already changing how we buy. According to Salesforce data, AI influenced 20% of the global retail sales during the last Christmas season, which represents about $272 billion.
This proves that more and more people buy using smart digital tools, which is why companies like Google, Walmart, Shopify, and Wayfair are investing in these features based on AI.
So…
This system makes shopping easier and more convenient, and it reflects the growing impact of AI on the retail industry. As technology continues to advance, tools like Gemini show how companies are creating a new era of digital shopping, where buying what you need can happen instantly and smoothly with just a conversation.
What do you think about this change? Will it be a negative thing for people who don’t know much about using technologies? We’ll see if this innovation really works in the future, but one thing is clear: AI is here to stay.