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As consumers increasingly begin their shopping journeys with conversational AI tools like Google\u2019s Gemini<\/strong>, ChatGPT<\/strong> and Perplexity<\/strong>, there\u2019s been a growing sense that\u2019s it\u2019s only a matter of time before the whole shopping journey \u2014 from initial query to purchase \u2014 will happen in these platforms. That time has come, with Shopify<\/strong>, Etsy<\/strong>, Salesforce<\/strong> and Walmart<\/strong> all announcing in the last two weeks that they are enabling checkout directly within ChatGPT conversations. More are likely to follow.<\/p>\n In addition to signaling another major shift in the online path to purchase, this recent flurry of news surrounding ChatGPT\u2019s Instant Checkout raises a question \u2014 why isn\u2019t Google doing the same?<\/strong> The company\u2019s various tools \u2014 Search (now superpowered with AI Overviews), Lens, Maps and the newest addition, AI Mode \u2014 are already ubiquitous in consumers\u2019 lives, and Google has been at the shopping game longer than ChatGPT has existed. In fact, thousands<\/strong> of brands and retailers already have their catalogs integrated with Google, accounting for more than 50 billion<\/strong> product listings, and the platform handles more than 1 billion shopping queries every day<\/strong>. So why hasn\u2019t Google rolled out in-app checkout yet?<\/p>\n While checkout capabilities may be in the works, as recently as late September Google maintained that in-platform purchasing was not its priority.<\/strong> This is in line with how Google has always viewed its role in the commerce landscape: \u201cWe\u2019re not a retailer, we\u2019re not a marketplace,\u201d proclaimed Bill Ready, then-President of Google Commerce, in a 2021 episode of the Modern Retail<\/em>\u00a0podcast. (Ready has since moved on to the CEO role at Pinterest<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we do want to do is make sure that on a Google surface,\u00a0the user can discover the best products, the best values, the best sellers, and then seamlessly connect to those sellers,\u201d Ready added. \u201cMost of the time, that actually means clicking out to that seller\u2019s own website; it is not our goal to necessarily keep the user on our platform.\u201d<\/p>\n Also in 2021, Google\u2019s then-VP and General Manager of Merchant Shopping, Matt Madrigal, (also now at Pinterest) told Retail TouchPoints<\/em>: \u201cWe\u2019re indifferent on where the shopping journey ends, where that transaction takes place<\/strong>.\u201d (Side note:<\/em> interesting<\/em> that two of Google\u2019s biggest former shopping execs are now at Pinterest, while at the same time Google is ramping up its visual inspiration capabilities in a way that will absolutely be competitive to Pinterest \u2014 story for another day.<\/em>)<\/p>\n Google\u2019s approach to shopping has never been about actually making the sale; it\u2019s always been about advertising.<\/strong> To offer advertisers value, Google needs consumer traffic, and shopping is a big part of what brings people to its tools. And while this years-old commentary from execs who are no longer with Google could be outdated, the strategy they conveyed still seems very much in place.<\/p>\n \u201cOur approach is that users want that final control, so we\u2019re bringing the opportunity to see what\u2019s available and then [letting] you take that final action<\/strong>,\u201d said Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google Search during a press briefing on Sept. 29, 2025. \u201cMost of the value for things like booking and ticketing [reservations and travel, for example] is in the research step. That\u2019s the thing that\u2019s really stressful for people and takes a ton of time, and it\u2019s the thing that [offers] the most value right now, at least for shopping and booking.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilian Rincon, VP of Product for Google Shopping, then pointed out that Google does now help with purchasing in one distinct use case<\/strong> \u2014 when a product a consumer is tracking through Google reaches the price they had designated<\/strong> (an update to Google\u2019s price-tracking tool that was announced in May). But beyond that already announced functionality, Rincon said \u201cwe don\u2019t have anything more to share on that [\u2018that\u2019 being in-platform checkout].\u201d<\/p>\n For now at least, Google\u2019s focus on enabling discovery over direct sales looks like it is holding. To that end, the company has made some major enhancements to its online shopping experience, primarily focused on making it more visual. These include more images in search results and conversations<\/strong>, yes, but also continued rollout of its in-platform virtual try-on<\/strong> capabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes what you\u2019re looking for just can\u2019t be articulated with text. You can ask AI a question, but it\u2019s a little silly to see a text response,\u201d explained Stein. \u201cIn many ways, this is because of how AI has grown up. These are LLMs, they\u2019re language models, chat experiences<\/strong>. So when you ask about designing a room, it\u2019ll explain how to design a room in language. Or if you ask about shopping for shoes, it\u2019ll describe the shoes, when really people want visual inspiration<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cAI is entering this inspirational and visual era with what we\u2019re launching,\u201d Stein added. \u201cNow you can ask a question like this \u2014 \u2018Show me a maximalist inspo for my bedroom\u2019 \u2014 and the AI can respond with visuals. This is, we think, a breakthrough in what\u2019s possible, bringing AI to a whole new set of use cases that expand its utility and value to users all over the world.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n The visual enhancements Stein is talking about apply specifically to AI Mode, Google\u2019s new conversational AI interface that brings together its Gemini AI model and \u201call of the incredible context of the web and knowledge that Google Search has,\u201d explained Stein. It also leverages Google\u2019s visual search technology, which the company has honed for years with its Lens tool. AI Mode launched in May and already has more than 100 million<\/strong> monthly users, a number that will most likely continue to grow as it expands to new markets and languages.<\/p>\n Making AI Mode more visual \u201cmarks a very important step in making the shopping experience in AI Mode even more helpful,\u201d said Rincon. \u201cConversational shopping is no longer just about decision-making. We\u2019re really going to be helping with those more upper-funnel inspirational queries as well.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n (And in doing so, hopefully bringing in more and more regular users, who also serve as ad viewers.)<\/p>\n While these new visual enhancements are focused on the distinct AI Mode area of Google Search, Google has been working for some time on making the results in general search queries more visual and engaging. And the company continues to expand its in-platform virtual try-on<\/strong> capabilities, which launched two years ago with beauty, then expanded to apparel and, most recently to footwear.<\/p>\n Perhaps an even bigger enhancement was the announcement earlier this year that customers could now upload a picture of themselves to virtually try products on their own body rather than on virtual models. Users simply click on any product listing on Google, select \u201ctry it on\u201d and add a full-length image of themselves to see what they might look like in that dress or boots.<\/p>\n Whether this will be enough to make Google the preferred conversational AI of shoppers remains to be seen. At the moment, Google does appear to be losing to ChatGPT. Data from Similarweb shows that ChatGPT is currently the largest single non-search referral source for major retailers, and in a recent survey from Omnisend, 65% of respondents said that they prefer ChatGPT for shopping over Google<\/strong>, with one in four<\/strong> respondents saying that its recommendations are better than Google\u2019s.<\/p>\n This may in part be due to factors that make the Google experience feel overwhelming to some consumers. First is the sheer volume of information available in Google, which has a much larger user base than ChatGPT (approximately 270 million<\/strong> monthly U.S. users in March 2025 compared to around 77 million<\/strong> for ChatGPT). Additionally, some research indicates that Google typically recommends more brands per shopping query than ChatGPT (an average of 6.02 <\/strong>brand suggestions on Google AI Overviews vs. 2.37<\/strong> on ChatGPT).<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting however, that Google\u2019s AI Mode was found to only suggest 1.59<\/strong> brands per query, and these numbers could also be a side effect of fact that more brands may be visible in Google than in ChatGPT \u2014 after all, Google has been working with merchants large and small for years to sync their catalogs so that their products are more discoverable in Google platforms.<\/p>\n No matter how this all pans out, one key factor should remain top of mind: Google\u2019s advertising-based business model is well-established, while ChatGPT is <\/strong>still looking<\/strong> for a viable path toward profitability<\/strong>, making fee-based offerings much more interesting to one than the other. (And yes, ChatGPT does earn a fee on sales it facilitates). \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nGoogle has Never Wanted to be a Retailer (or Even a Marketplace)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Don\u2019t Forget How Google Makes its Money<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Google\u2019s AI Focus: Visual Inspiration<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Making AI Mode More Visual, Expanding Virtual Try-on<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Example](\"https:\/\/www.retailtouchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AI-mode-visual.png\")
The Battle to Own AI-Powered Shopping<\/strong><\/h2>\n