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Google tests buying from Flipkart through Gemini and AI Mode in India

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Google tests buying from Flipkart through Gemini and AI Mode in India

Google has started testing a feature in India that lets shoppers buy products from Walmart-owned Flipkart directly inside Gemini and Google's AI Mode, without leaving the AI interface. Users in the test see a "Buy" button on select Flipkart listings that leads into a Flipkart-branded checkout flow. According to people familiar with the matter and an experience seen by TechCrunch, the test is limited to some users and a small set of product categories, including smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories; other users still see ordinary Flipkart listings in Gemini and AI Mode with no direct-buy option. One of the people said Google plans to roll the feature out more broadly later in October, ahead of India's festive shopping season, when Flipkart and Amazon typically run their biggest sales of the year. A Google spokesperson, asked about the test, said the company is "always testing new features and experiences to help people discover and connect with businesses more easily," and added that Google runs experiments regularly and had no further details to share. The move fits a broader push by Google and rivals such as OpenAI to add commerce capabilities to their AI products, moving beyond answering shopping questions toward playing a direct role in purchases. Google has separately built the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard introduced earlier this year meant to let AI agents interact with retailers through checkout, with purchases completed via a Google-hosted checkout experience; the company has since expanded UCP to let shoppers transfer items to a retailer's own site to finish buying. The Flipkart test appears to be a different mechanism from that Google-hosted checkout, since tapping Buy opens a Flipkart-branded flow instead, and it is not clear what technology powers it. Earlier in September, Google had named Flipkart as one of the merchants partnering on "agentic" shopping experiences in India but had not detailed the test or a timeline. Google also has a financial stake in Flipkart: it invested about $350 million in the company in 2024 as part of a funding round led by Walmart, taking a minority stake. India, described as the world's second-largest internet market with more than a billion internet subscribers, is a battleground where Flipkart and Amazon compete fiercely, especially during the festive season. For now, the buy option is not available across all retailers Google's AI services surface: in the version seen by TechCrunch, Amazon listings appeared alongside Flipkart's but without the option to purchase directly through the AI interface. Flipkart did not respond to a request for comment.

Key facts

  • Google is testing a "Buy" button on select Flipkart listings inside Gemini and AI Mode in India, opening a Flipkart-branded checkout without leaving the AI interface.
  • The test currently covers only some users and a narrow set of categories: smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories.
  • Google plans a broader rollout later in October, ahead of India's festive shopping season.
  • Google invested about $350 million in Flipkart in 2024 as part of a Walmart-led funding round, taking a minority stake.
  • Amazon listings appear alongside Flipkart's in the same Google AI services but without a direct-purchase option, and the underlying technology behind the Flipkart flow is unclear.

Why it matters

The test marks Google trying to turn its AI chat tools from shopping-research assistants into actual points of purchase, a shift also being pursued by OpenAI. If Gemini and AI Mode can close a sale rather than just surface a product, it changes where online shopping in India, and potentially elsewhere, actually happens.

Who it affects

Indian shoppers in the test group who see the Buy button; Flipkart, which is Walmart-owned and gets a direct checkout path from Google's AI surfaces; Walmart, which led Flipkart's 2024 funding round that gave Google a minority stake; and rivals like Amazon, whose listings currently appear without the same direct-purchase option, and OpenAI, which is building similar commerce features.

How to use it

The feature is not generally available: it is limited to some users and a small selection of products, including smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories, seen through Gemini and AI Mode in India. Google has said it plans to expand the experience more broadly later in October, ahead of India's festive shopping season, though no exact date has been given.

How solid is it

The account rests on people familiar with the matter and an experience TechCrunch says it saw firsthand, plus an on-record but sparse comment from a Google spokesperson confirming the company is testing new features without detailing this one. Flipkart did not respond to a request for comment, so its side is not represented.

Risks and caveats

It is not clear what technology powers the Flipkart checkout flow, and TechCrunch notes it appears to differ from the Google-hosted checkout experience built on Google's Universal Commerce Protocol that the company demonstrated earlier. Google's minority stake in Flipkart, taken as part of a 2024 investment of about $350 million in a Walmart-led round, sits alongside this commercial partnership. The buy option is not currently offered for rival retailers like Amazon within the same AI surfaces.

“always testing new features and experiences to help people discover and connect with businesses more easily.”

— a Google spokesperson