Google tests buying from Walmart-owned Flipkart via Gemini and AI Mode in India

Google is testing buying from Walmart-owned Flipkart directly through Gemini and AI Mode in India. The company wants its AI assistant to become a transactional storefront, not just an answer machine. If it works, conversational commerce stops being a buzzword and becomes a mass-market reality.

Context

India has become Google's perfect laboratory: a massive user base, a thriving e-commerce ecosystem, and still-malleable regulation. Flipkart, owned by Walmart, is one of Amazon's biggest rivals in the country. It's no accident the test is happening there instead of the US.

Details

The limited test covers select products and users, with a broader rollout planned for later in October. Google hasn't specified how many users or which product categories are included. The integration lets you start a purchase from a conversation with Gemini or from AI Mode without leaving Google's experience. Payments and logistics are still handled through Flipkart.

Analysis

The move is smart but not revolutionary. Google has spent years trying to monetize purchase-intent searches without cannibalizing its ad business. Now it's betting on generative AI as an intermediation layer. Winners: Flipkart and users who hate switching apps. Losers: price aggregators and stores that rely on traditional search traffic. My take: if Google makes buying as easy as asking, traditional e-commerce will have to rethink its conversion funnel.

Implications

The October rollout will be the signal everyone's waiting for. If the test scales, we'll see Amazon, Mercado Libre, and Shopify chasing similar deals with AI assistants. It's also a warning for Indian regulators: Google would be vertically integrating search, AI, and commerce into a single flow.

Will 2025 be the year buying via chat stops being an experiment and becomes the new "add to cart" button?

Source: TechCrunch