Google launches agentic checkout and AI shopping tools for holiday season

Google deployed autonomous shopping capabilities across its Search and Gemini platforms on November 13, 2025, introducing features that enable AI systems to complete purchases, contact stores, and process complex product queries during the holiday shopping period.

The company announced three primary capabilities: agentic checkout that autonomously purchases tracked items when prices drop, Duplex-powered phone calls to verify local inventory, and conversational shopping through AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app. These features mark a substantial expansion of Google's Shopping Graph infrastructure, which now contains more than 50 billion product listings with 2 billion receiving hourly updates.

Autonomous purchasing through price tracking

The agentic checkout system extends Google's existing price-tracking feature by automating the entire purchase process. Users specify exact product parameters including size, color, and budget constraints through the price-tracking interface. When prices fall within the designated range, Google can execute purchases using Google Pay on eligible merchant websites.

"Tell us what item you want to track — down to the specific size, color and amount you want to spend — and you'll get a notification when the price falls within your budget," according to the announcement from Vidhya Srinivasan, Vice President and General Manager of Ads and Commerce at Google. "If the merchant is eligible, we'll now give you the option to have Google buy it for you on the merchant's site using Google Pay."

The system requires explicit user confirmation before completing transactions. Users must verify purchase details and shipping information before Google executes the order. The feature operates exclusively through Google's Shopping Graph and payments infrastructure, limiting availability to participating merchants including Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and select Shopify sellers.

This represents one of several agentic commerce implementations emerging across platforms during 2025, though industry analysts have questioned the commercial viability of autonomous purchasing systems.

Duplex technology calls stores for inventory verification

Google deployed an AI calling system powered by Duplex technology to contact local retailers and verify product availability. The feature activates when users search for products "near me" within specific categories including toys, health and beauty, and electronics.

After selecting "Let Google Call," users receive customized questions based on the product category. The AI system then contacts nearby stores to determine availability, pricing, and promotional offers. Results arrive via email or text message alongside inventory data from the Shopping Graph.

"Behind the scenes, AI does the work for you, calling to see if stores nearby have what you're looking for, how much it costs and if there are any special promos — giving merchants a new way to drive foot traffic, and freeing up time in your day," according to the announcement.

The implementation received a substantial upgrade to the underlying Gemini model, enabling improved store selection algorithms and conversation summarization capabilities. The system identifies optimal retailers to contact and generates relevant questions based on product specifications.

Conversational shopping in AI Mode

Google's AI Mode in Search received comprehensive shopping enhancements enabling natural language product queries. Users can describe items conversationally rather than navigating traditional filter systems. A query like "cozy sweaters for happy hour in warm autumn colors" generates shoppable image results, while comparison questions about specific product types produce detailed tables.

The system formats responses according to query intent. Visual inspiration requests receive image-focused layouts, while comparison queries generate side-by-side product analyses including review insights. A question comparing moisturizers for specific skin types produces tables showing how different products feel on skin based on customer feedback.

This builds on shopping capabilities Google introduced throughout 2025, including visual search integration and local business information. The Shopping Graph's 50 billion listings provide the product data foundation, with hourly refresh cycles maintaining current pricing and availability information.

Gemini app gains shopping functionality

Shopping features previously limited to Search expanded to the Gemini app on November 13 for all U.S. users. The app now processes shopping-related questions and returns product listings, comparison tables, pricing data, and purchase locations directly within conversations.

Users can transition from brainstorming gift ideas to browsing specific products without leaving the Gemini interface. The system accesses identical Shopping Graph data as Search, ensuring consistency across platforms. This functionality requires no special activation — users simply pose shopping-related queries to trigger product results.

The integration represents a shift toward unified shopping capabilities across Google's AI products, following comprehensive advertising updates announced at Think Week 2025 in September.

Technical infrastructure and merchant participation

The features operate on Google's Shopping Graph infrastructure, which has expanded from 45 billion listings in October 2024 to more than 50 billion as of November 2025. The database aggregates product information from global retailers and local merchants, with 2 billion listings receiving updates every hour according to Google's technical specifications.

Merchant eligibility for agentic checkout depends on integration with Google's payments infrastructure. The company confirmed Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and select Shopify merchants as initial participants, with additional retailers scheduled for future inclusion. Google did not specify technical requirements for merchant participation or commission structures.

The Duplex calling system operates independently of merchant integration, contacting stores through publicly available phone numbers. This distinguishes it from the checkout feature, which requires explicit merchant cooperation and technical connectivity.

Market context and competitive landscape

Google's autonomous shopping deployment occurs amid broader industry movement toward agentic AI systems. The company released comprehensive technical guidelines in November 2025 establishing five-level architecture for autonomous AI agents, projecting the agentic AI market could reach $1 trillion by 2035-2040.

However, the commercial viability of autonomous purchasing remains contested. Analysis published on PPC Land in October 2025 identified eight structural challenges to agentic commerce adoption, including retailer incentives against AI intermediation, high ecommerce return rates, and consumer preferences for evaluating options before purchasing.

The timing coincides with Google's broader holiday shopping guidance showing 61% of shoppers reporting more careful spending due to economic concerns. Extended research cycles now characterize consumer behavior, with 86% of journeys including Google or YouTube platforms across five or more touchpoints.

Implications for digital marketing

The autonomous features introduce new variables for digital marketers managing Shopping campaigns. Agentic checkout removes price as the primary purchasing barrier for tracked items, potentially altering bid strategies for products frequently added to price-tracking lists.

The Duplex calling system creates direct connections between search behavior and physical retail locations, generating foot traffic opportunities for local merchants with accurate inventory management. Stores maintaining current availability information gain advantages as the AI system prioritizes reliable data sources.

Conversational shopping in AI Mode and Gemini shifts product discovery away from keyword-based optimization toward natural language understanding. Product listings must account for conversational query patterns rather than solely traditional search terms. Descriptions matching how consumers naturally describe products could gain visibility over keyword-optimized content.

The Shopping Graph's hourly update cycle creates pressure for merchants to maintain current product information. Outdated pricing, inventory, or availability data may result in reduced visibility as the system prioritizes fresh listings according to technical documentation.

Deployment timeline and geographic availability

Google initiated rollout of all three features on November 13, 2025, with availability limited to the United States. The agentic checkout feature targets Search users including those accessing AI Mode, while conversational shopping spans both Search and the Gemini app.

The Duplex store-calling capability covers toys, health and beauty, and electronics categories initially, with expansion to additional product types unspecified in the announcement. Geographic expansion beyond U.S. markets also remains unconfirmed.

Merchant participation in agentic checkout will expand beyond the initial group of Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and Shopify sellers, though Google provided no timeline for broader availability. The company characterized the deployment as "starting to roll out now" across eligible platforms.

Timeline

• May 22, 2024: Google introduces Virtual Try-On Technology for Shopping Ads, expanding functionality to apparel ads
• October 3, 2024: Google Lens introduces Shopping ads with nearly 20 billion monthly visual searches
• September 10, 2025: Google unveils comprehensive AI advertising suite at Think Week 2025, introducing agentic advisory capabilities
• September 30, 2025: Google's AI Mode enables visual search exploration with conversational queries
• October 6, 2025: Skepticism grows over AI shopping agents as industry analysts question commercial viability
• November 10, 2025: Google Cloud releases comprehensive agentic AI framework guideline projecting $1 trillion market by 2040
• November 13, 2025: Google launches agentic checkout, Duplex store calling, and conversational shopping across Search and Gemini app
• November 15, 2025: Google outlines five strategies for marketers navigating cautious holiday shoppers with 61% reporting careful spending

Summary

Who: Google announced the features through Vidhya Srinivasan, Vice President and General Manager of Ads and Commerce. The deployment affects U.S. consumers using Google Search, AI Mode, and the Gemini app, along with participating merchants including Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and select Shopify sellers.

What: Three autonomous shopping capabilities launched: agentic checkout that automatically purchases price-tracked items when they reach target budgets using Google Pay, Duplex-powered AI calling to verify local store inventory for toys, health and beauty, and electronics, and conversational shopping in AI Mode and Gemini app powered by the Shopping Graph containing 50 billion product listings.

When: Google deployed all features on November 13, 2025, with rollout beginning immediately for U.S. users. The timing targets the holiday shopping season when consumer spending reaches annual peaks.

Where: Availability limited to the United States across Google Search (including AI Mode) and the Gemini app. Agentic checkout operates exclusively through eligible merchant websites, while Duplex calling contacts local retail stores in geographic proximity to users. The Shopping Graph aggregates inventory from global retailers and local merchants.

Why: The features address friction points in online shopping including endless scrolling, price monitoring, inventory verification requiring multiple phone calls, and complex filter navigation. Google aims to streamline holiday shopping while extending its Shopping Graph infrastructure into autonomous transaction capabilities. The deployment coincides with market projections showing agentic AI reaching $1 trillion valuation by 2035-2040, though industry analysts have questioned commercial viability of autonomous purchasing systems.