Walmart teams up with Google's Gemini to make it easier for shoppers to find and buy products
Published Sun, Jan 11 2026
10:00 AM EST
Melissa Repko@in/melissa-repko@melissa_repkoWATCH LIVEKey Points
- Walmart and Google said Sunday that the companies are working together to make it easier for shoppers to discover and buy items through Google's AI assistant, Gemini.
- The retail giant struck a similar deal with rival AI platform, OpenAI's ChatGPT, in October.
- Walmart is trying to adapt to how shoppers are increasingly using AI chatbots to look for inspiration or save time.
A Walmart sign hangs on the exterior of the store on Nov. 20, 2025 in Hollywood, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Walmart and Google said Sunday that shoppers will soon be able to use Google's artificial intelligence assistant Gemini to more easily discover and buy products from the retail giant and its warehouse club, Sam's Club.
Incoming Walmart CEO John Furner and Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the companies have teamed up on stage at the National Retail Federation's Big Show, an annual industry conference held at New York City's Javits Center.
The CEOs did not say when the new feature will launch or share financial terms. The company said the experience will start first in the U.S. and then expand internationally.
With the Google deal, Walmart is boosting its effort to keep up with customers who are using AI chatbots to save time or look for inspiration. Walmart announced a deal with a rival to Gemini, OpenAI's ChatGPT, in October to allow shoppers to make purchases with "Instant Checkout," a feature that allows them to buy an item without leaving the AI chatbot. OpenAI recently launched that feature with Walmart and it has Instant Checkout deals with other retailers, including Etsy and several Shopify merchants like Skims, Vuori and Spanx.
Walmart also has its own AI chatbot, a yellow smiley-faced assistant on its app called Sparky.
"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."
Furner, who will step into Walmart's top role on Feb. 1, described the deal with Google's Gemini as "another step toward creating seamless shopping experiences for customers and members that are more intuitive and personal than ever before."
Pichai said in the release that Google is excited to work with Walmart "on a new open standard to make agentic commerce a reality."
For Walmart, the evolution of customers' shopping habits â such as searches that start on an AI chatbot instead of its own app or website â is changing the retailer's digital strategy. In a statement, David Guggina, Walmart U.S.'s chief ecommerce officer, said agentic AI "helps us meet customers earlier in their shopping journey and in more places."
"Over time, these agents will make it easier for customers to find what they need, want and love," he said.
Walmart leaders have also been vocal about the ways that AI will change the workforce and the roles of its employees, comments that carry additional weight as the company is the largest private employer in the U.S.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who is retiring and will be succeeded by Furner, has spoken about the sweeping impact of the technology, saying that "it's very clear that AI is going to change literally every job."
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.