Walmart and Google stated on Sunday that shoppers will soon be able to access Google’s artificial intelligence assistant Gemini to easily find and purchase products in the retail giant and warehouse club, Sam’s Club.
Incoming Walmart CEO John Furner and Google CEO Sundar Pichai made their announcement that both companies collaborated to expand at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show, an annual industry conference held at New York City’s Javits Center.
The CEOs failed to indicate the time when the new feature would have been launched or the financial terms. The company indicated that the experience will begin in the U.S. and then expand to other parts of the world.
In the case of the Google acquisition, Walmart is amping up its initiative to stay abreast of the customers who are utilizing AI chatbots to conserve time or find inspiration.
Walmart declared an agreement in October with a competitor of Gemini, the ChatGPT of OpenAI, to enable shoppers to purchase goods under the name “Instant Checkout,” a feature that enables them to purchase a product without exiting the AI chatbot.
The new feature was recently introduced by OpenAI with Walmart, and it has Instant Checkout agreements with other shops such as Etsy and a range of merchants on Shopify, including Skims, Vuori, and Spanx.
However, Walmart also owns an AI chatbot, a yellow smiley-faced assistant on its app named Sparky. In a news release, Furner said that “The transition from traditional web or app search to agent-led commerce represents the next great evolution in retail. We aren’t just watching the shift, we are driving it.”
In a speech at the stage, Furner, coming to the top position in Walmart on February 1, said Walmart is “rewriting the retail playbook” and, with AI, it’s “trying to close the gap between I want it and I have it.”
Therefore, Pichai noted that Google is happy to partner with Walmart and terms the implementation of AI as a transformative moment. In the case of Walmart, changes in the shopping patterns of its customers, including the use of the AI chatbot as the starting point of a search instead of the Walmart application or a webpage, are redefining the digital strategy of the retailer.
Walmart U.S.’s Chief Ecommerce Officer, David Guggina, said in a statement that agentic AI “helps us meet customers earlier in their shopping journey and in more places.” He added, “Over time, these agents will make it easier for customers to find what they need, want, and love.”
Walmart leaders have also been frank on how AI will transform the workforce and the roles of employees, which is even more significant considering that the company is the largest privately engaged employer in the U.S.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who is retiring and being replaced by Furner, has talked about its enormous effect on jobs, stating that the technology is simply going to shift every job.
