Google tests Buy button for Flipkart inside Gemini and AI Mode in India

Google is reportedly testing a Buy button for Flipkart products inside Gemini and AI Mode in India. The move could change how shoppers discover products and potentially reshape affiliate marketing if AI starts handling product recommendations and purchases.

In Short

• Google is reportedly testing a Buy button for Flipkart products in Gemini
• The test is currently limited to select users and products
• Amazon listings don't offer the same Buy option for now

Google is reportedly working on a new trick of acting as a shopkeeper without launching a new e-commerce platform. The search giant is said to have started testing a way for Indian shoppers to buy products from Walmart-owned Flipkart without ever leaving Gemini or AI Mode.

According to a TechCrunch report, some users in India now see a "Buy" button on select Flipkart listings. Tap it, and you land straight in a Flipkart checkout flow, no tab-hopping required. The test is small for now, limited to a handful of users and products like smartphones, electronics, and mobile accessories. Everyone else still sees regular Flipkart listings with no buy option.

The timing is no accident. The report suggests that Google plans to widen the rollout later in October, just ahead of India's festive shopping season, when Flipkart and Amazon go all out on sales and discounts. Being the place where shoppers decide and pay is a pretty sweet spot to be in.

How it works

Google has been building its own plumbing for AI shopping. In January, it introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard that lets AI agents work with retailers from browsing all the way to checkout. It has since added features, including the ability to hand shoppers over to a retailer's site to finish the purchase. But the Flipkart test looks different from Google's own hosted checkout. It shows a Flipkart-branded flow, and it's unclear what technology is powering it.

Amazon, for now, is left watching from the sidelines. Its listings show up in the same AI results but don't offer a buy button.

How affiliate marketing could be affected

Now for the part that might make some people nervous: the folks who earn a living by telling you what to buy. Affiliate marketing works on a simple deal. A blogger, YouTuber or deals site recommends a product, you click their link, you buy, and they earn a small cut. It's a big part of how many review and coupon sites in India pay their bills, and the festive season is their Super Bowl.

A "Buy" button inside Gemini could change that path. If someone asks an AI, "Which phone under Rs 20,000 should I get?" and can tap Buy right there, they may never visit a review site at all. The AI does the recommending, the retailer does the checkout, and the creator in the middle gets left out. This could also mean fewer readers on review and comparison pages, which means fewer clicks that can turn into commissions.

If a sale happens inside an AI chat, who gets paid for it? Today's tracking links and cookies weren't built for that, so Google and retailers may end up creating their own referral or partner programs for AI-driven sales, which could shift where the money flows. There's a flip side too. Retailers could save on affiliate payouts if shoppers buy straight from the AI, and some publishers may still get visibility if Gemini cites them.

It's early days, and none of this is confirmed. Neither Google nor Flipkart has said how affiliate links will be handled, and the test covers a small slice of products.

- Ends