Walmart teams with Google to make shopping easier for customers
Walmart Inc. and Google are teaming up to make it easier for easier for customers to shop though Google’s AI assistant, Gemini.
The two companies said they plan to launch a new experience that pairs the intelligence of Google’s Gemini with Walmart and Sam’s Club’s "unmatched assortment, value and convenience," to make shopping more intuitive, reliable and “perfectly aligned with the rhythms of everyday life.” It will first launch directly within Gemini in the U.S., followed by internationally. No launch date was given.
The partnership was announced on the first day of the National Retail Federation’s annual Big Show at the Jacob Javits center in New York City.
The new experience, built by Walmart and accessible directly within Gemini using the Universal Commerce Protocol (which allows AI agents to shop and make purchases for consumers across different online stores) will address several customer needs, will include fast delivery. Shoppers can get in-store and club items delivered right where and when they want it, with hundreds of thousands of locally curated products delivered in under three hours and as fast as 30 minutes.
Also, 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 feature items from the retailer’s large 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,” Walmart said in a press releae announcing the initiative.
"When customers discover items in Gemini, Walmart helps them move from “inspiration to purchase in a seamless, trusted experience — all within the familiar Walmart and Sam’s environments they know and love,” Walmart said. When customers link their accounts, Walmart will recommend complementary items based on their past online and in-store purchases, combine their order with other items they’ve put in their Walmart or Sam’s Club carts, and provide all the benefits of their Walmart+ and Sam’s Club memberships.
John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. and incoming president and CEO of Walmart Inc., said that 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,” Furner stated. “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.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said that 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,” he added.
Walmart and Sam's Club have also been enabling shoppers to complete purchases directly within the ChatGPT agentic AI environment.
