Walmart Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced a new partnership Sunday that will allow shoppers to discover and purchase products directly through Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, marking a significant shift toward what the companies call agentic commerce.
The announcement came during the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York City, where incoming Walmart CEO John Furner and Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed customers will soon be able to browse and buy items from Walmart and Sam’s Club without leaving the Gemini platform. The feature will launch first in the U.S. before expanding internationally, though the companies did not provide a specific timeline or disclose financial terms.
“The transition from traditional web or app search to agent-led commerce represents the next great evolution in retail,” Furner said in a news release. “We aren’t just watching the shift, we are driving it.” During his stage remarks, Furner, who assumes Walmart’s top role on Feb. 1, said the company is working to “close the gap between I want it and I have it.”
The integration will let Gemini surface relevant products during conversations, recommend complementary items, and connect purchases to Walmart’s existing delivery and membership infrastructure. Pichai described the AI adoption as a “transformative” moment and said the technology can improve the consumer journey “from discovery to delivery.”
The partnership represents Walmart’s latest move to meet customers where they increasingly begin their shopping journeys – in AI chatbots rather than traditional retail websites or apps. The retailer previously announced a deal in October with OpenAI to enable purchases through ChatGPT using an Instant Checkout feature. Walmart also operates its own AI shopping assistant, Sparky, a yellow smiley-faced chatbot available on its mobile app.
According to a statement on Walmart’s website, the company has been building toward this model for nearly a decade through a framework centered on four internal “super agents” designed to serve customers, associates, partners, and developers. The retailer says these agentic systems are already embedded across its operations, from automating merchant tasks and inventory planning to optimizing supply chain logistics and shortening fashion production timelines.
David Guggina, Walmart’s chief e-commerce officer, said agentic AI “helps us meet customers earlier in their shopping journey and in more places.”
The move comes as Walmart leaders acknowledge AI’s sweeping impact on the workforce. Outgoing CEO Doug McMillon, who will be succeeded by Furner, has stated that “it’s very clear that AI is going to change literally every job” at the company, which is the largest private employer in the U.S.
As retailers race to adapt to AI-driven shopping behaviors, Walmart’s dual strategy of building proprietary AI tools while partnering with major platforms positions the company at the forefront of what it calls the next evolution in retail.
Daniel Newman, CEO of The Futurum Group, said the Walmart-Google partnership shows Google is prepared to take on Amazon.com Inc. on the commerce front.
Separately, Walmart and Google’s Wing are expanding their drone delivery partnership to an additional 150 Walmart locations, beginning with Houston on Jan. 15. According to Wing, the multi-year expansion will continue through 2027 and will ultimately bring drone delivery service to more than 270 Walmart stores, making it accessible to approximately 40 million Americans, or about 10% of the U.S. population.
