Shopping is moving further into Google’s AI stack with conversational search for products, agentic checkout where it buys when prices drop and an assistant that calls local stores to check stock and price. The rollout addresses the friction points of e-commerce — endless tab-hopping, outdated inventory data and missed deals — by turning search into a guided, multi-step shopping workflow.
Shopping Becomes Conversational in Search
In Google Search’s AI Mode, shoppers can ask questions in the same manner as they do in a store: “show me cozy sweaters in autumn colors under $80” or “compare retinol serums for sensitive skin,” and receive personalized results with visuals, current pricing, reviews and availability. When visual inspiration is what matters, the interface defaults to images; when comparison is what matters, for instance, it can “describe in a quick table the difference.”
These responses are based on Google’s Shopping Graph, which the company says tracks more than 50 billion product listings, with about 2 billion updates per hour. That real-time refresh rate is important: It turns out that out-of-stock results and mismatched pricing continue to be leading drivers of abandonment in retail search, according to retailers as well as user-experience audits from organizations like the Baymard Institute.
Google said sponsored listings will come to AI Mode but that the Gemini mobile app wouldn’t feature shopping ads while test features are enabled. The app in the United States is also receiving richer shopping suggestions, which will transform vague prompts into curated ideas, not only a link.
Agentic Checkout Begins with Buy for You
Agentic checkout applies a layer of automation on the least fun part of any trip — waiting for the right price. A shopper may be able to monitor an item, set a budget range and have Google place the order on the merchant’s site using Google Pay when the price hits their mark. Before placing an order, the system requests permission and confirms shipping details and payment.
The capability is beginning to arrive in U.S. search results, including AI Mode, with initial support for retailers like Wayfair, Chewy, Quince and select Shopify stores. For retailers, it’s a reactivation engine that winches back customers who might otherwise disappear after checking the price. It also keys off of a recognized behavior differential: cart abandonment regularly edges the 70% mark in many studies, frequently spurred by comparison shopping and price sensitivity.
Based on the Shopping Graph and Google Pay, the model seeks to strike a balance of convenience with control. As Google Shopping VP of product management Lilian Rincon explained, the aim is to erase that muscle memory of checking and not make “surprise” purchases, which are key to building trust in automated commerce.
An AI That Dials Local Stores to Check Stock and Price
So if you need items today, Google is dusting off its Duplex phone tech to call nearby stores and confirm whether the product you want is available, ask for a price check and see if there are any promotions. When you “search near me,” for example, you could tap “Let Google Call,” answer some clarifying questions and receive a structured summary of the results. The feature is coming to the U.S. first in categories including toys, health and beauty and electronics.
Crucially, retailers have the option not to receive these calls. For those who take the call, Google says the bot introduces itself as AI, asks questions quickly and only continues if a person gives permission — an attempt to avoid the pratfalls of robocalls and stay up to date with norms around communication. Duplex launched in 2018 to mixed reception; this pivot toward inventory validation feels like a pragmatic fit for retail, where a quick phone call can prevent a fruitless trip to the store.
Why This Matters for Retailers and Consumers
Search is still the starting point for many shopping expeditions — industry surveys from both groups, and even one from National Retail Federation, often find a majority of consumers start narrowing down product options online even when they do eventually make purchases in a physical store. By making those searches conversational and linked to live inventory, Google helps narrow the gap between discovery and decision.
For retailers, the upside is end-use-focused: agentic checkout wins back intent at the last minute, AI calls convert local demand to revenue and the Shopping Graph’s speed keeps product pages accurate in bulk. There are trade-offs, though. And those merchants are going to need reporting on how AI Mode affects ad performance, margin and return rates; they’ll also pore over how Google mediates the customer relationship when buy orders were kicked off by an automated system.
For customers, it’s about time and certainty. A parent in search of a last-minute console controller, a skin-care enthusiast cross-referencing actives across brands, or a renter stalking the sofa to go on sale can now distill what was once hours of clicking into just a few prompts and a quiet background agent.
The Competitive Picture: Google, Amazon, and Shopify
Google’s move comes as commerce players are in a race to add AI concierges. Amazon has tested conversational shopping and guided search features within its app, while Shopify has introduced AI-powered shopping and merchant tools. The differentiator for Google is also the open web: Its AI layers over a huge index of retailers rather than within any one marketplace, giving it breadth — if it can keep its data fresh and experiences trustworthy.
We can expect fast iteration from here: deeper category coverage for store-calling, broader merchant support for agentic checkout and tighter relationships across AI Mode, Gemini and Google Pay. If Google can demonstrate that these are assistants that drive conversion, and they’re doing it not only in a way that the user has agreed to but also in a way the merchants have as well, AI-driven shopping could shift from novelty to default far more quickly than many anticipated.
