Google is testing a Buy button in Gemini and AI Mode. Being named is not the same as getting the sale.

When a customer asks an AI tool what to buy, the answer names a few sellers. Google is now testing a way to buy from one of them without leaving the answer, in India. In the test, one retailer gets a Buy button. Its rival, named on the same screen, gets only a listing.

What changed

On September 26, TechCrunch reported that Google has started testing a way for shoppers in India to buy from Flipkart directly through Gemini and AI Mode. Walmart owns Flipkart.

• A Buy button. Users in the test see a “Buy” button on select Flipkart listings. TechCrunch says it takes them to a Flipkart checkout flow without leaving the AI interface.
• A small test. It covers some users and a small set of products, including smartphones, electronics and mobile accessories. Other users still see regular Flipkart listings with no Buy button.
• The rival got a listing, not a button. In the experience TechCrunch saw, Amazon listings appeared next to Flipkart products. They did not offer a way to buy directly through the AI interface.
• Maybe more in October. One person familiar with the matter told TechCrunch that Google plans a broader rollout later in October, ahead of India’s festive shopping season.

A Google spokesperson told TechCrunch the company is “always testing new features and experiences to help people discover and connect with businesses more easily.” Google had no further details to share. Flipkart did not immediately respond to TechCrunch.

The same report adds context. Earlier this month, Google named Flipkart among the merchants partnering with it on what it calls “agentic” shopping in India. Google also invested about $350 million in Flipkart in 2024, taking a minority stake. TechCrunch says it is not clear what technology powers the test. The report does not say how Google picks which sellers get the button.

What this means if AI names your rival

An AI answer now has two jobs. The first is to name sellers. The second, in this test, is to let the customer act.

In the example TechCrunch saw, both Flipkart and Amazon showed up. Only one could take the order from inside the answer. Being named put Amazon on the screen. It did not give Amazon the same short path to the sale.

This is a test in one country, on a few kinds of products. It may change or stop. But TechCrunch places it in a wider push. Google and its rivals, including OpenAI, are adding ways to buy inside their AI tools. Earlier this year, Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard meant to let AI agents work with retailers through the shopping journey, including checkout.

So “Does AI name me?” is no longer the only question. The next one is: “When it names me, what can the customer do next?”

The next-tap test

Run this on the questions your customers ask before they buy. It adds one column to the usual check of who AI names.

1. Write five buying questions in your customers’ own words. For example: “Where can I buy a replacement filter for my water purifier?”
2. Ask each one in Gemini and in Google’s AI Mode. Write down the date.
3. Mark who the answer names: you, your rival, or nobody.
4. For each business named, mark the next tap. Pick one:
   • Buy or book here. The customer can act inside the answer.
   • Your own site or phone number.
   • A marketplace or reseller page.
   • Nothing to tap.
5. Save a copy of each full answer.

A decision rule for your results

• Named, and the tap reaches you. Good. Run the same check next month.
• Named, but the tap goes to a marketplace or reseller. That seller holds the sale. Check that their listing of your product is correct and current.
• Your rival can be bought or booked inside the answer, and you cannot. Write it down as a gap, with the date and the question. Ask your store platform or marketplace partner whether they support buying inside Google’s AI tools, and what they need from you.
• Nobody can be bought inside the answer. Nothing to act on yet. Keep the record so you can spot a change if one comes.

What to do this week

• Write five buying questions your customers ask.
• Ask each one in Gemini and AI Mode, and save the answers with the date.
• Mark who is named and where the next tap goes.
• If you sell through a marketplace, check how your listing looks there.
• If you sell in India, run the check again after the October rollout TechCrunch’s source described.

Name your rival. Tell us who AI names instead of you. Book a war briefing with New Reward, and bring their name.