What’s next in commerce and retail changes almost every day. But some days bring bigger changes than others. Sunday (Jan. 11) was one of those days, with the announcement that Google and Walmart have teamed up to embed Walmart and Sam’s Club’s vast inventory directly into Google’s artificial intelligence assistant Gemini, using Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, and shifting retail from a static search-and-buy model toward a more conversational, AI-driven “agentic commerce” paradigm. The goal of the partnership and launch is to eliminate the friction between want and buy by allowing shoppers to browse, personalize, and complete purchases directly through conversational AI. During an investor call on Tuesday (Jan. 13), Daniel Danker, Walmart’s EVP of AI Acceleration, Product and Design, told the audience he “very clearly sees this as a growth opportunity,” noting that the agentic-focused partnership will continue to allow Walmart to “reach the customer where they are as commerce shifts.”

Full report : Walmart to embed Gemini AI into Walmart and Sam’s Club inventory to move retail from search-based eCommerce to agent-driven shopping.