Thursday, January 15, 2026
Walmart has announced a new collaboration with Google that will bring AI-assisted shopping directly into Google’s Gemini chatbot, marking another major step in the retailer’s expanding artificial intelligence strategy with external technology partners. Through this integration, Walmart and Sam’s Club products will appear within Gemini responses when users search for or research items, making product discovery more seamless and context-driven.
As part of the experience, Gemini will surface relevant in-store and online merchandise during customer queries. When users decide to move forward with a purchase, they will complete the transaction through Walmart’s own checkout system, ensuring that the retailer retains control over payments, fulfillment, and customer service. Initially, the feature will roll out to Gemini users in the United States before expanding to international markets.
Walmart’s incoming CEO, John Furner, joined Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai on stage to discuss the partnership during The National Retail Federation’s 2026 Big Show in New York City. During the event, Pichai also introduced a new set of agentic AI tools built for retailers and confirmed the launch of Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard designed to support agent-driven commerce from product discovery through final purchase decisions.
Google continues to see strong momentum in retail AI adoption, according to Pichai, who highlighted the growing reliance on AI across the industry. “We want to use our full stack approach to help you shape this next chapter of retail,” Pichai said.
The announcement aligns closely with Walmart’s leadership transition, as current CEO Doug McMillon has previously emphasized his confidence in Furner’s ability to guide the company through an AI-led transformation. With technology reshaping how customers interact with brands, Walmart is signaling a willingness to rethink long-standing processes to stay competitive.
As Furner explained, adaptability will remain central to Walmart’s strategy, even as the company holds firm to its core principles. “What won’t change … is our purpose, our values, the way we think about people leading,” Furner told the audience. “But everything else we are willing to change — what we sell, how we interact with customers, with our associates.”
Currently serving as president and CEO of Walmart U.S., Furner previously led Sam’s Club U.S. and brings decades of experience within the organization. He began his career as a store associate in Bentonville, Arkansas, giving him firsthand insight into how the retail landscape has evolved.
Reflecting on that evolution, Furner pointed to the dramatic shifts in consumer behavior and technology over the years. “Retail was different,” Furner noted when reflecting on the start of his Walmart career 33 years ago. “In 1993, there was a playbook on how it worked and things seemed familiar at that time, but over the years, and just this last few years, we’re in a different period.”
Through its partnership with Google, Walmart is positioning itself to meet customers where they increasingly search and make decisions—inside AI-driven conversations. By embedding commerce into Gemini while maintaining its own checkout infrastructure, the retailer aims to combine convenience with operational control. Overall, the collaboration reflects a broader industry shift toward agentic commerce, where AI not only recommends products but actively supports the full shopping journey from discovery to purchase.
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