US retail giant Walmart announces partnership with Google to integrate Gemini into the shopping process

2026-01-11 18:04:21

U.S. retail giant Walmart and Google announced a strategic partnership to integrate Google’s generative AI assistant Gemini into the shopping process, allowing consumers to discover products, compare prices, and complete purchases more quickly through the AI assistant. This integration covers Walmart and its warehouse membership channel Sam’s Club.

AI Chatbot as a New Entry Point, Walmart Accelerates Positioning

This collaboration with Google Gemini is Walmart’s latest move in response to the rapid shift in consumer behavior toward AI chat interfaces. Increasingly, consumers no longer open shopping apps or e-commerce websites first but instead ask AI questions like “What should I buy,” “Where is it cheapest,” or “Gift ideas,” with the AI directly guiding them to checkout.

As early as October 2025, Walmart had partnered with OpenAI to enable ChatGPT users to purchase Walmart products directly through the “Instant Checkout” feature without leaving the chat window. This feature has also expanded to Etsy and multiple Shopify merchants, including Skims, Vuori, and Spanx.

Now, with the addition of Google Gemini, Walmart is positioning itself within two major AI ecosystems simultaneously, ensuring that regardless of which AI assistant consumers use, they can access Walmart’s products and supply chain.

From Search to Ordering, Retail Enters the Agentic Business Era

Furner stated in the press release, “The shift from traditional search to an AI agent-led business model is the next major evolution in retail. We are not just observing this change; we are actively driving it.”

He also pointed out that Walmart is trying to use AI to shorten the gap between “I want” and “I have,” rewriting the rules of retail.

Pichai said that the adoption of AI in retail is a transformative moment, and Google is pleased to collaborate with the world’s largest retailer to bring Gemini into real consumer scenarios.

This article, “U.S. retail giant Walmart announces partnership with Google to integrate Gemini into the shopping process,” first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.

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