Walmart and Google Gemini team on AI discovery and shopping experiences push

Walmart and Google are gearing up to launch a new experience built by Walmart and accessible directly within Gemini using the Universal Commerce Protocol.

Gemini will automatically include Walmart and Sam’s Club in-store and online products when it’s relevant. For example, when a customer asks for advice on camping equipment for the spring season, it will return items from the retailer’s inventory of products. And since people talk back and forth with Gemini, there are more opportunities to show relevant products and services throughout the conversation.

When customers discover items in Gemini, Walmart helps them move from inspiration to purchase , all within the familiar Walmart and Sam’s environments. When customers link their accounts, the retailer will recommend complementary items based on their past online and in-store purchases, combine their order with other items they’ve put in their carts, and provide all the benefits of their Walmart+ and Sam’s Club memberships.

Customers and members can get in-store and club items delivered, with hundreds of thousands of locally curated products delivered in under three hours and as fast as 30 minutes.

“The transition from traditional web or app search to agent led commerce represents the next great evolution in retail. We aren’t just watching the shift, we are driving it,” says John Furner, President and CEO at Walmart U.S. and incoming President and CEO at Walmart.

“We want to help customers get what they need and want, when and where they want it. Partnering with Google to bring the Walmart experience directly into Gemini is another step toward creating seamless shopping experiences for customers and members that are more intuitive and personal than ever before.”

“AI can improve every step of the consumer journey, from discovery to delivery. Walmart is an innovator in retail and we are excited to partner with them on a new open standard to make agentic commerce a reality. Customers will soon be able to experience everything they love about Walmart directly in the Gemini app,” says Sundar Pichai, CEO at Google and Alphabet.

The new experience will first launch directly within Gemini in the US and internationally thereafter.

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH proudly presents the first edition of its AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by VenHub Global, 3D Cloud and EdTech Innovation Hub.

This is now open for entries. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Check out categories and entry forms here.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January. This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.