Google AI Mode lets customers buy products without visiting your website.
A customer types a question into Google Search. Instead of receiving a list of links, they receive an AI-generated answer. If the question involves shopping (e.g., “best running shoes under $150”), the AI can now recommend products and complete the purchase right there in the search results.
This feature, called “embedded checkout,” launched in January 2026. It is powered by the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), the same open standard that connects AI assistants to e-commerce platforms.
For Shopify merchants, this creates a new pathway to customers. People researching products in Google can discover and buy from your store without ever clicking through to your website. The order still comes to you. The fulfillment is still yours. But the shopping experience happens entirely within Google.
“AI agents will be a big part of how we shop in the not-so-distant future.”
— Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google
This guide explains what Google AI Mode is, how embedded checkout works, and what you can do to make sure your products appear to AI shoppers.
What is Google AI Mode?
Google AI Mode is a conversational search experience that launched in May 2025. When you search in AI Mode, you ask a question and receive an AI-generated answer instead of a list of blue links. The AI reads information from across the web, synthesizes it, and presents a direct response.
For shopping queries, AI Mode functions as a personal shopping assistant. You can ask questions like “What’s the best espresso machine under $300?” and receive a curated recommendation with product details, reviews, and pricing. Until recently, you would then click a link to visit the merchant’s website to complete the purchase.
That changed in January 2026. Google introduced embedded checkout, which allows customers to buy products directly within AI Mode. They select a product, confirm their payment details through Google Pay, and complete the purchase without ever leaving Google.
This same capability is available in the Gemini app, Google’s standalone AI assistant. Whether people are searching on Google or chatting with Gemini, they can now shop and buy in the same interface.
The key difference from traditional Google shopping: In the past, Google connected you to stores. Now, Google can complete the transaction itself while you remain the merchant who fulfills the order.
How AI Mode Shopping Works
When a customer shops through Google AI Mode, the experience follows a clear sequence. Understanding each step helps you see where your store fits into the process.
- Step 1: Customer asks a question. The journey begins when someone types a shopping-related question (e.g., “Find me wireless earbuds with long battery life” or “What’s the best moisturizer for dry skin under $50?”).
- Step 2: AI researches products. The AI searches across participating merchants to find relevant products. It pulls information from product catalogs, descriptions, reviews, and pricing data through the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP).
- Step 3: AI presents recommendations. Based on the research, the AI presents one or more product recommendations with details like price, availability, star ratings, and key features.
- Step 4: Customer selects a product. The customer chooses a product they want to buy and can see more details, including shipping options and return policies.
- Step 5: Checkout happens in Google. The customer completes the purchase using payment methods saved in Google Pay or Google Wallet. PayPal support is planned for future integration.
- Step 6: Merchant receives the order. The order arrives in your Shopify admin just like any other order. You process payment, handle fulfillment, and manage any customer service needs.
“We want to build a future of retail where customers use Google products they love as part of a seamless shopping experience. AI can assist at every step, from discovery and decision to delivery.”
— Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google (NRF 2026)
How AI Mode Finds Products
Understanding how Google AI Mode discovers products is essential for any merchant who wants to appear in AI recommendations. The AI does not browse websites like a human shopper would. It reads structured data.
Product Catalog Access
When you participate in Google’s merchant programs, your product information becomes accessible to AI Mode. This happens through product feeds submitted to Google Merchant Center and through the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP).
The AI can query this catalog in real-time. It looks at product titles, descriptions, specifications, pricing, inventory levels, and customer reviews. The more complete and accurate your product data, the more confidence the AI has in recommending your products.
Structured Data Signals
Schema markup on your website provides additional context. When your product pages include proper JSON-LD structured data, you give AI systems explicit information about what you sell.
Priority schema types for AI commerce include:
- Product schema. Core details like name, description, and SKU.
- Offer schema. Price, availability, and sale pricing.
- AggregateRating schema. Star ratings and review counts.
- MerchantReturnPolicy schema. Return terms and conditions.
Shopify themes typically include basic schema, but reviewing and enhancing this markup improves your visibility to AI systems.
How AI Decides What to Recommend
The AI evaluates multiple factors when deciding which products to present:
- Relevance. Does the product match what the customer asked for? Accurate titles and detailed descriptions help the AI understand what you sell.
- Quality signals. Reviews, ratings, and customer feedback influence recommendations. Products with positive reviews and sufficient review volume appear more trustworthy.
- Price competitiveness. AI often compares prices across merchants. If your product is significantly more expensive than alternatives without clear differentiation, it may not make the recommendation.
- Availability. Products that are out of stock or have inaccurate inventory data create poor customer experiences. The AI favors products with reliable availability information.
What This Means for Shopify Merchants
If you run a Shopify store, AI Mode creates both opportunities and considerations worth understanding.
Your Products Are Already Eligible
Shopify has built-in support for the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), which powers AI Mode checkout. This means your products can appear in AI Mode recommendations without custom development or additional integrations.
When you use Shopify and participate in Google’s merchant programs (e.g., Google Shopping), your product catalog is accessible to AI Mode. The infrastructure exists. Your job is to ensure your product data is complete and accurate.
A New Type of Customer Journey
Until now, you optimized your store for customers who would visit your website. You invested in attractive product photography, compelling descriptions, smooth navigation, and a checkout flow that reduced abandonment.
AI Mode introduces a different journey. Some customers will now discover and purchase your products without ever seeing your homepage, browsing your collections, or experiencing your brand directly. They interact with Google’s interface, not yours.
The numbers indicate this shift is accelerating. Since January 2025, traffic from AI tools to Shopify stores increased 7x, and purchases attributed to AI-powered search grew 11x. Additionally, a Shopify survey found that 64% of shoppers are likely to use AI for purchases.
“AI is the most significant transformation in commerce since the advent of the internet.”
— Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify
What You Control vs. What You Don’t
In AI Mode, you control:
- Your product data (e.g., titles, descriptions, pricing, inventory)
- Your fulfillment and customer service
- Your return policies
- Your competitive positioning
You do not control:
- How AI Mode presents your products
- Which products get recommended for specific queries
- The checkout interface and user experience
- Whether customers visit your website at all
This shift requires adjusting expectations. Your brand experience inside AI Mode is largely determined by your product data, not your website design or marketing copy.
How to Optimize for AI Mode
While you cannot control how AI Mode presents products, you can influence whether your products appear and how accurately they are represented.
Complete and Accurate Product Data
AI systems rely on structured information, not visual appeal or persuasive language. Each product in your catalog should have:
- Accurate titles. Include key attributes like brand, product type, and distinguishing features. Avoid keyword stuffing or promotional language in titles.
- Detailed descriptions. Cover specifications, use cases, materials, and dimensions. Answer questions a customer might ask before purchasing.
- Correct variants. Ensure proper size, color, material, and other option values are tracked accurately.
- Up-to-date pricing. Match what customers will see at checkout. Price discrepancies create frustration and abandoned transactions.
- Real-time inventory sync. Prevent recommending out-of-stock products. Verify that inventory data flows correctly to your product feeds.
“It’s really good at finding people who have specific interests and matching them with the product that is just perfect for them. That kind of serendipity is where the best of commerce happens.”
— Tobi Lütke, CEO of Shopify
Schema Markup Implementation
Review the structured data on your product pages. At minimum, ensure you have:
- Product schema with name, description, brand, and SKU
- Offer schema with price, priceCurrency, availability, and URL
- AggregateRating if you have customer reviews
- MerchantReturnPolicy with return window and conditions
Tools like Google’s Rich Results Test can validate your schema. Apps like Super Schema Plus can automate schema generation for Shopify stores.
Google Merchant Center Configuration
Your Merchant Center account connects your product catalog to Google’s shopping features, including AI Mode. Ensure that:
- Product feeds. Submitted and approved with accurate data.
- Shipping rates. Configured accurately for all delivery zones.
- Return policies. Documented with clear terms.
- Tax settings. Match your actual charges.
Missing or incorrect Merchant Center configuration can prevent your products from appearing in AI Mode or cause checkout failures.
Competitive Positioning
AI Mode makes price comparison easier for shoppers. When the AI presents recommendations, customers can quickly see how your pricing compares to alternatives.
This does not mean you must be the cheapest option. But your pricing should be defensible when viewed side-by-side with competitors. If you charge a premium, ensure your product quality, reviews, and unique attributes justify the higher price.
Benefits and Trade-offs
AI Mode shopping offers advantages for merchants, but it also introduces trade-offs worth considering.
Benefits
- Access to high-intent shoppers. Customers using AI Mode to research products are often closer to purchasing. Research shows that shoppers who interact with AI-powered assistance are 25% more likely to convert and complete purchases 47% faster.
- Reduced checkout friction. Customers complete purchases using saved payment methods without navigating away from their research. Fewer steps typically means less abandonment.
- New discovery channel. Customers who might never have searched for your brand specifically can still find your products through AI recommendations. This expands your reach beyond people who already know you.
- No custom development required. Shopify’s built-in UCP support means you can participate without building custom integrations or installing specialized apps.
Trade-offs
- Reduced website visits. If customers buy through AI Mode, they may never see your website. This limits cross-selling, upselling, and exposure to your full brand experience.
- Less control over presentation. You cannot customize how your products appear in AI Mode. The presentation is standardized across all merchants.
- Limited customer journey data. When purchases happen within Google, you may have less visibility into pre-purchase behavior, browsing patterns, and the content customers reviewed before buying.
- Dependency on platform decisions. Google controls which products appear, how recommendations are made, and what the checkout experience looks like. Changes to AI Mode could affect your sales with little notice.
A Balanced Perspective
AI Mode is a channel, not a replacement. Most of your business will likely continue through direct website traffic, organic search, paid advertising, and other established channels. AI Mode adds an option for reaching customers in a new context.
The merchants who benefit most from AI Mode will be those with excellent product data, competitive positioning, and reliable fulfillment. These fundamentals matter in every sales channel, including AI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Shopify stores sell through Google AI Mode?
Yes. Shopify has built-in support for the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), which powers AI Mode checkout. If you submit product feeds to Google Merchant Center and have UCP-compatible data, your products can appear in AI Mode recommendations and support embedded checkout.
Do I need to do anything special to enable AI Mode?
For basic eligibility, no special action is required beyond maintaining good product data and participating in Google’s merchant programs. Your focus should be on ensuring product titles, descriptions, pricing, and inventory are complete and accurate. Reviewing your schema markup and Merchant Center configuration helps maximize visibility.
How do payments work when customers buy through AI Mode?
Customers pay using payment methods saved in Google Pay or Google Wallet. Google processes the checkout interface, but you remain the “Merchant of Record.” Payment flows to you through your existing Shopify payments setup. You receive funds and customer information just as you would with any other order.
Will AI Mode replace my website?
No. AI Mode is an additional sales channel, not a replacement for your website. Customers will continue to visit your store directly through organic search, paid ads, social media, email, and word of mouth. AI Mode reaches customers who are researching through conversational AI interfaces, which is a subset of your potential audience.
What determines which products appear in AI Mode?
AI Mode evaluates multiple factors including product relevance to the customer’s question, quality signals (e.g., reviews and ratings), price competitiveness, and availability. Complete and accurate product data improves your likelihood of appearing. Products with missing information, poor reviews, or inaccurate inventory data are less likely to be recommended.
Is AI Mode available everywhere?
AI Mode is rolling out in phases. Availability varies by country and may require users to opt into AI Mode within Google Search settings. The Gemini app provides similar AI shopping capabilities where available.
Next Steps
Google AI Mode adds a new way for customers to discover and buy your products. Whether this becomes a significant sales channel for your business depends on how well your store is prepared.
- Review your product data. Audit titles, descriptions, and variants for completeness. Ensure pricing and inventory sync in real-time.
- Check your schema markup. Verify that Product, Offer, and AggregateRating schemas are present and valid.
- Confirm Merchant Center setup. Make sure product feeds are approved, shipping is configured, and return policies are documented.
- Monitor your traffic sources. Watch for orders attributed to AI shopping surfaces. Track how this channel performs compared to others.
- Understand the broader context. AI Mode is part of a larger shift toward agentic commerce, where AI agents shop on behalf of customers. Reading about the Universal Commerce Protocol and Shopify Agentic Storefronts will help you understand where AI Mode fits.
The fundamentals remain: clean data, competitive positioning, and reliable fulfillment. Those matter in every sales channel, including AI.
Last updated: January 19, 2026
