Google augments AI shopping with conversational search, agentic checkout and an AI that calls stores for you

Google is rolling out a suite of AI shopping updates just ahead of the holiday season. The company on Thursday unveiled a host of new tools and features, including conversational shopping in Google Search, new shopping features within its Gemini app, agentic checkout, and even an AI tool that can call local stores to find out if a product you want is available.

The company believes the additions will help improve the online shopping experience, which can still today involve a lot of drudgery, explained Vidhya Srinivasan, VP and GM of ads and…