Gemini and AI Mode in India are now showing a test “Buy” button on a limited number of Flipkart product pages. The button allows buyers to complete their purchase straight away from within the AI interface, without having to leave it. For now, the feature is only available to certain users and applies to a narrow range of items, such as smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories.
Google’s announcement came before the test began. In that earlier statement, the company named Flipkart as one of the merchants partnering with it on agentic shopping experiences in India. No details of the test or its rollout timeline were shared at the time. Alongside that news, Google also introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), described as an open standard for AI agents to work with retailers across the shopping journey, including checkout.
How the Buy Button Works
TechCrunch saw listings from rivals such as Amazon sitting alongside Flipkart’s own products, yet those rival items did not include a direct purchase button within the AI interface. This arrangement keeps the buy path exclusive to Flipkart, at least for now.
A tap on the Buy button triggers a Flipkart-branded checkout experience, though the underlying technology behind it remains undisclosed.
Later in October, Google intends to expand the feature more widely before India’s festive shopping season begins. According to a representative from Google who spoke to TechCrunch, the company is “always testing new features and experiences to help people discover and connect with businesses more easily,” and it frequently runs experiments without sharing additional information beyond that.
The Financial Relationship
The U.S. retailer led a funding round in 2024, during which Google put in about $350 million for a minority stake in Flipkart.
What TechCrunch describes looks distinct from the Google-hosted checkout experience shown by the Gemini maker. The experience now opens a Flipkart-branded checkout flow instead.
Who Gets the Buy Option
Flipkart’s regular product listings appear in Gemini and AI Mode for other users, but they do not include a direct buy link. This arrangement applies only to a limited group rather than to everyone at once.
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current test | Limited to some users, a small selection of products |
| Full rollout | More broadly, later in October |
| Partner status | Flipkart among merchants partnering with Google on agentic shopping |
What This Means for Sellers
The examination reveals how AI commerce tools can privilege certain partners while leaving others behind. Flipkart receives the direct purchase choice, whereas listings from other retailers show up yet cannot finish a transaction via the AI interface.
The timing of the launch is important because it comes before India’s festive shopping season, when e-commerce firms typically introduce some of their most significant sales and promotions of the year.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs narrow disclosure requirements for AI safety failures like the ones hidden by Gemini and AI Mode in India and is against federal licensing or slowdowns that would freeze today’s leaders in place and lock out whoever would have challenged them. That same logic applies here: when a big firm like Google builds an AI agent that only lets one merchant complete purchases directly, the question is whether that exclusion was disclosed, not whether the agent itself should be licensed.
The test is limited to some users and a small selection of products; the experience seen by TechCrunch may not reflect the full rollout. But the pattern is consistent: the AI interface shows rival listings while locking the buy path to Flipkart alone. Disclosure of such exclusions is the kind of narrow rule the paper supports; a federal license for AI agents would freeze today’s leaders in place and lock out whoever would have challenged them.
Readers should watch for whether these arrangements are disclosed to users. The paper wants transparency over regulation.
Key Facts
- Test limited to some users, a small selection of products
- Includes smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories
- Google invested $350 million in Flipkart in 2024
- Rollout planned for later in October
- Listings from other retailers appear but do not offer direct purchase
This is a minor advance, yet it is a clear one.
Source material: “Google tests buying from Walmart-owned Flipkart through Gemini and AI Mode in India,” TechCrunch.
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