In a significant push toward agentic, in-platform commerce, Google has commenced testing a direct purchase feature in India that enables consumers to buy products from Walmart-owned Flipkart directly inside Gemini and its AI Mode in Search, according to a TechCrunch report.
In the pilot, select users see a “Buy” button on certain Flipkart product listings surfaced in Google’s AI interfaces. Tapping it opens a Flipkart-branded checkout flow, without the user leaving the AI experience. The test is currently limited to a small set of users and products, including smartphones, electronics and mobile accessories. Others continue to see standard Flipkart listings without the direct-buy option.
A broader rollout is reportedly planned for later in October, ahead of India’s festive shopping season. Flipkart’s Big Billion Days sale begins on October 9, with early access for Plus and Black members from October 8. Google has not confirmed the timeline.
The move comes as Google and rivals such as OpenAI add commerce capabilities to their AI products. Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) earlier this year, an open standard designed to let AI agents work with retailers across the shopping journey, including checkout. The Flipkart experience appears to differ from the Google-hosted checkout the company had earlier demonstrated and it is not clear which technology powers the test. Earlier this month, Google had named Flipkart among merchants partnering with it on agentic shopping experiences in India.
Notably, the direct-buy option was not available for all retailers. Listings from rivals such as Amazon appeared alongside Flipkart’s but did not carry a Buy button. Google also has a financial link with Flipkart, having invested about $350 million in the e-commerce major in 2024 for a minority stake.
A Google spokesperson said the company is always testing new features and experiences to help people discover and connect with businesses and did not share further details.
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