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4h ago

Google Launches Open AI Checkout With Walmart, Marking a Split From Amazon

Rollout specifics for the Universal Commerce Protocol remain undisclosed, leaving merchants to pilot chat-based checkout without clarity on data or revenue terms.

Earlier this week, Google rolled out new commerce features for Google Search's AI Mode and its Gemini chatbot. Brands increasingly want to monitor and control how they show up to AI agents and in AI-mediated queries. But experts warn that not all queries are the same and that AI models present risks when it comes to queries related to a company's finances or governance standards, which could influence major procurement decisions.

Overview

  • Google enabled purchases directly inside Search’s AI Mode and the Gemini app, with Walmart and Sam’s Club named as initial U.S. integrations using Google Pay, though no launch date was provided.
  • The Universal Commerce Protocol debuted as an open standard with more than two dozen partners, including Shopify, Target and Etsy, and Amazon was not on the list.
  • Walmart emphasized an open-partnership strategy, adding Google to earlier work with OpenAI to appear in multiple AI shopping channels alongside its own consumer and internal agents.
  • Amazon is pursuing a closed approach with features like Buy For Me and Auto Buy and says users of its Rufus chatbot are 60% more likely to complete purchases, with the company projecting over $10 billion in annual sales from the agent.
  • Industry analysis highlighted reliability gaps in AI responses on financial, governance and certification queries and warned that generative engine optimization remains unproven for steering agent recommendations.