Google Turns AI Into A Checkout Button For Big Retail — Walmart, Kroger, Papa John’s Are Already In

AI players such as Google and OpenAI have made big moves in the retail and consumer spaces lately.

• Google said it is partnering with top retail chains that have signed up for its new agent AI tool.
• Walmart, Papa John’s, Kroger, and others are using Google AI technology to power bespoke features in their consumer applications.
• Google, as well as AI rival OpenAI, now allows shopping from within Gemini and ChatGPT apps.

Alphabet-owned Google is stepping up its push into AI-powered retail, rolling out a range of new tools and partnerships with retailers and consumer brands.

Walmart, Papa John’s, Kroger, and others said on Sunday they were using Google’s technology in AI-assisted shopping. The development comes as Google's latest Gemini 3 AI model is getting high praise from users.

The AI push in retail has been underway since last year. OpenAI rolled out Instant Checkout last fall, enabling users to purchase products directly inside its ChatGPT chatbot; Walmart later said its products are available to purchase from the AI bot. 

Microsoft followed in January 2026, unveiling a comparable checkout capability for its Copilot assistant. Meanwhile, consumers heavily used AI – from AI recommendations to virtual trails – during the bygone holiday shopping season.

Here’s how consumers are using Google AI, as per the latest disclosure.

Walmart

Walmart and Google plan to launch a new experience that pairs Google's Gemini with Walmart and Sam's Club's assortment to make shopping more "intuitive, reliable and perfectly aligned with the rhythms of everyday life," the company said. 

The new experience will be built by Walmart and accessible directly within Gemini using the Universal Commerce Protocol.

Walmart also plans to expand its drone delivery program to cover an additional 150 stores and over 270 consumer locations, as part of a separate partnership with Google’s drone unit Wing.

Papa John's

The pizza chain expanded its deal with Google Cloud, where it's using Google’s new Good Ordering Agent. The tool, part of Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, offers a fully unified voice-and-text AI ordering system to remove friction across customer touchpoints. 

The capabilities would be available in Papa John’s mobile app and website, as well as for ordering via telephone, kiosks, and in-car systems.

Home Depot

Home Depot also expanded its partnership with Google Cloud. Through the deployment of Google Cloud's AI, The Home Depot is "extending its home improvement expertise from the store aisles to customers' fingertips, including new capabilities in its Magic Apron assistant, AI-powered product list builders for pros, and new tools to improve customer and store support," the company said.

Customers can now describe their projects in plain language, and Magic Apron moves beyond simple search results to provide expert conversational advice and personalized recommendations for everything from fixing a leaky faucet to full kitchen remodels, the home goods retailer said.

Kroger

The Kroger Co. said it is using the new slate of tools in Google Cloud. The retailer is testing Google’s shopping agent, which helps customers compare grocery items, personalizes their shopping experience, and handles purchasing, the company’s chief digital officer and executive vice president told the Wall Street Journal.

The capabilities are available in the Kroger mobile app.

Honeywell

Apart from retailers, Honeywell launched a new AI-enabled retail tool to enhance the in-store shopping experience for consumers, developed in collaboration with Google Cloud and 66degrees.

The Smart Shopping Platform helps shoppers locate their desired products, compare similar items, and find relevant substitutions when products are unavailable, Honeywell said.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.<