Beyond ChatGPT: Gemini Now Lets You Buy Your Groceries Mid-Conversation
In early 2026, the boundary between “searching for it” and “owning it” has officially dissolved. Google just announced a massive expansion of its Gemini chatbot, turning it from a research assistant into a full-scale digital merchant. Through new partnerships with global giants like Walmart, Shopify, and Target, Gemini now allows users to browse, select, and buy products without ever leaving the chat interface.
For the Kenyan market, where conversational commerce is already the norm, this move signals a major shift in how we might soon interact with both local and global brands.
Google is leveraging its new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard designed to make “agentic commerce” a reality. Instead of Gemini simply giving you a link to a website, it now acts as a personal shopper that can execute tasks on your behalf.
The experience is built on three pillars: Conversational Discovery, where you can ask for advice (e.g., “What gear do I need for a cold night in Naivasha?”) and receive real-time inventory results; Account Linking, which allows Gemini to offer personalized recommendations based on your past orders; and Instant Checkout, which triggers a payment window directly in the chat using your saved Google Pay details.
While the initial rollout is centered in the U.S., Google has confirmed that international expansion is on the horizon. For Kenya, the implications are massive because our market is already “mobile-first” and deeply comfortable with buying through dialogue.
Kenyans are already masters of conversational commerce—buying through WhatsApp and Instagram DMs is the standard for local “hustles.” Gemini’s move validates this behavior but adds a layer of formal security and automation that manual chats lack. The real “game-changer” for the Kenyan market will be when UCP-supported gateways integrate M-Pesa directly into the Gemini checkout flow, allowing users to pay with their mobile money wallets as easily as they do at a supermarket till.
By integrating the entire funnel—from the first “I need…” to the final “Payment Successful”—Google is positioning Gemini to be the ultimate Super App. In Kenya, an AI that can handle your research and your shopping via a single voice command or text could quickly become indispensable. For Kenyan SMEs, this is a call to action: businesses on Shopify or Etsy will soon be able to surface their products directly in Gemini’s global AI suggestions, leveling the playing field with bigger retailers.