Google is rolling out a series of AI shopping updates ahead of the holiday season. The company announced a number of new tools and features Thursday, including conversational shopping in Google Search, new shopping features within the Gemini app, agent checkout, and even an AI tool that lets you call your local store to see if the item you want is available.
The company believes the additions will help improve the online shopping experience, which even today can involve a lot of grunt work, Vidhya Srinivasan, Google’s vice president and general manager of advertising and commerce, explained in a press conference ahead of the launch.
“We believe shopping shouldn’t be so boring. It should and should feel more natural and easy,” she said. “The idea here is that you want to keep all the fun parts of shopping, like browsing and serendipity, and skip all the boring and difficult parts.”
One update will allow consumers to ask shopping questions in AI mode. AI Mode is Google’s conversational search feature that allows you to use natural language queries in a chatbot-style interface. Answers will be tailored to your question, and if you need some visual inspiration, the chatbot will provide images along with details such as price, reviews, and available stock.
So, if you are looking for a cozy sweater in autumn colors, you will see a photo of the available options. However, if you’re comparing products, such as skin care products, Google may return insights in a comparison table instead.
Google noted that AI mode leverages the Shopping Graph, which contains more than 50 billion product listings, 2 billion of which are updated every hour, and said that the inventory information displayed is typically up-to-date.
Another shopping update will allow the Gemini app to provide concrete ideas as answers to shopping-related questions, rather than just text suggestions. Currently, this is only available to users within the United States.
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The company confirmed that consumers using AI mode will see sponsored listings, but these ads will not yet appear in the Gemini mobile app as the feature is still in an experimental phase.
Notably, Google is rolling out agent checkout, including an AI mode, within Google Search in the US. This feature is currently compatible with merchants such as Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and some Shopify stores.
To use Agent Checkout, you can start by tracking the price of your items and receive notifications when the price drops to stay within your budget. You can then choose to let Google buy your products using Google Pay on the merchant’s website. The company says it always asks users’ permission first and lets them confirm purchase and shipping details.
“It’s great for shoppers because they don’t have to constantly check to see if the item they want is on sale, and it’s great for retailers because it brings back customers who might otherwise have moved on,” Lillian Rincon, vice president of product management at Google Shopping, said in a briefing. “Delegated Checkout is built on Google’s trusted shopping graph and G Pay, so you can see accurate results and have peace of mind that your payment information is safe,” she said.
Another AI feature can call businesses on your behalf to find out things like whether they have an item in their store, how much it costs, and if there are any promotions.
The feature is built on Google’s Duplex technology, introduced in 2018, and its shopping graph and payments infrastructure. You enter information about the product you’re looking for, and the AI calls local stores to ask about the product and returns a summary of the results.
The feature is currently being rolled out in the U.S. for specific categories such as toys, health and beauty products, and electronics. To use this feature, search for products ‘near me’ and use the ‘Call Google’ option. The AI will guide you through questions related to the item you’re searching for.
The company is mindful of how sellers respond to these calls, making sure the chatbot doesn’t make too many calls and making sure they clearly understand the questions the chatbot is asking. Retailers may also opt out of receiving such calls. For those who don’t, Google will first make it clear that the AI is making the call on the customer’s behalf, and will only proceed if the recipient of the call says it’s okay.
Google executives had planned to demonstrate the technology at a press conference Wednesday, but the company abandoned the demo before it was complete due to Wi-Fi issues on its side.
