Published: September 27, 2026 · Last updated: September 27, 2026
TL;DR: Google is piloting a feature that lets some Indian users buy smartphones, electronics, and accessories from Flipkart directly inside Gemini and AI Mode, without leaving the chat. A wider rollout is planned for October, timed to hit right before India’s festive shopping season. Amazon, Flipkart’s biggest rival in the country, does not have the same option, and Google has quietly put about $350 million into Flipkart since 2024.
What happens when the company that owns search decides which retailer gets the shortcut past search entirely?
That is the question sitting underneath Google’s newest experiment in India. The company is testing a feature that puts a “Buy” button directly on eligible Flipkart product listings inside Gemini and AI Mode. Tap it, and instead of getting redirected to a search results page or an ad, you land in a Flipkart branded checkout flow and finish the purchase without ever opening a separate shopping app.
Right now the test is narrow. It covers smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories, and only a limited set of users and products are included. Most Indian shoppers using Gemini today still see standard product listings with no purchase option at all. That changes in October, when Google plans a broader rollout, deliberately timed before the festive season, the stretch of weeks around Diwali when Indian e-commerce does its biggest volume of the year.
There is a technical detail that matters more than it sounds like it should. This is not the same thing Google demonstrated earlier this year with its Universal Commerce Protocol, a system built around Google hosted checkout that any retailer could theoretically plug into. This Flipkart integration hands the checkout experience to Flipkart’s own branded flow instead. In plain terms, Google built a special lane for one retailer rather than opening a general purpose highway for all of them.
India is not a small test market to be experimenting in. It is the world’s second largest internet market, with more than a billion internet subscribers, and Flipkart and Amazon have been locked in a brutal fight for that audience for years. Google has skin in this particular fight too. The company invested roughly $350 million in Flipkart back in 2024, money that predates this AI shopping test but that clearly did not hurt Flipkart’s odds of becoming Google’s chosen shopping partner inside Gemini.
Amazon gets none of this. Shoppers asking Gemini about a product that Amazon also sells still get redirected the old way, through a link rather than an in-chat purchase. Whether that is a temporary sequencing choice, Flipkart just happened to be first, or a durable advantage baked into Google’s India strategy is the thing worth watching over the next few months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use this feature right now?
Only if you are one of the limited test users in India seeing it on eligible Flipkart listings. Google has said a broader rollout is planned for October.
Will this come to other countries?
Nothing has been announced beyond India. Given the timing tied to India’s festive shopping season, this looks like a market specific test for now rather than a global feature launch.
Does Amazon have a similar deal with Google?
Not currently. The reporting on this test specifically notes Amazon does not have the same direct purchase option inside Gemini or AI Mode that Flipkart has.
Related: Insurers Say AI Already Cost Them $942 Million, and Nobody Got Any Healthier and Google Ads API v25.2 Hands Agencies the Competitive Data They Used to Guess At.
Bottom Line: Google spent years insisting its AI shopping tools would be neutral, an open protocol any retailer could join. This test looks like the opposite: one retailer with a direct line to purchase, timed for the busiest shopping weeks of the year, backed by a company that already owns a piece of that retailer. Neutral platforms rarely stay neutral once there is real money on the table, and this is Google showing its hand early.
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