Walmart partners with Google Gemini: The inside story of AI shopping assistants vying for retail dominance

GasWrangler · 2026-01-11T15:58:11+00:00

Recently, Walmart partnered with Google to integrate the AI chat tool Gemini into the shopping process, creating a seamless experience for product search and ordering. This reflects how retailers are reshaping consumer shopping methods, with AI becoming an essential tool for everyday purchasing decisions, and it will influence access to more content and services in the future.

GasWrangler

2026-01-11 15:58:11

Abstract generation in progress

【Blockchain Rhythm】An interesting phenomenon: recently, the competition for AI chat tools in retail scenarios has become increasingly fierce. Walmart and Google have teamed up to integrate Gemini into the shopping process, allowing users to complete product searches and place orders directly within the AI chat window, without switching between apps. This is already Walmart’s second such collaboration—back in October, they had a similar integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Thinking carefully, this reflects a rethinking by retailers of how consumers shop. Users are becoming more accustomed to using AI to find inspiration, compare options, and even make purchases directly, which is much faster than traditional search engines or browsing stores one by one. From OpenAI to Google, these AI giants are also competing for this entry point.

For us, this signals that AI tools are becoming the main touchpoints for everyday purchasing decisions. Whether in the Web3 ecosystem or traditional retail, content and services that can be efficiently retrieved and recommended by AI will have more opportunities in the future. This wave has just begun.

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AlphaWhisperer

· 21h ago

Walmart's move is pretty aggressive... switching between two AIs in a month, afraid of missing someone's express train ChatGPT and Gemini take turns, and the retail entry point competition has directly rolled into the user shopping process To put it simply, it's about capturing consumer touchpoints; whoever controls AI shopping decisions holds the discourse power The traditional e-commerce approach of browsing products one by one is outdated; indeed, AI is needed to improve efficiency But on the other hand, does this provide inspiration for on-chain shopping? Can DeFi also adopt such an integrated solution?

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GhostInTheChain

· 01-14 08:06

Walmart is just keeping its options open, embracing both ChatGPT and Gemini... Really afraid of missing out on someone. --- Honestly, the core of the retail entrance battle is still a data contest. Whoever controls the shopping decision chain wins. --- Now you have to ask AI to buy something. Can humans still shop independently? Haha. --- The competition between Google and OpenAI in the retail sector feels even more intense than in search engines... Interesting. --- Walmart's move here is basically a bet; as long as big companies back it, that's enough. User experience is secondary. --- Placing orders directly in the chat window is indeed more convenient than shopping through an app, but here comes the issue of data privacy.

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TheMemefather

· 01-13 01:20

Walmart is really going all-in on AI for retail, rolling out two big models at once... It seems like traditional e-commerce days are not going to be easy. People are really getting lazier, placing orders directly through AI? Then what’s the use of search engines... Wait, could this thing get AI to trick people into buying? I’m a bit uneasy about it. The battle for retail entry points ultimately comes down to who can first bind users' consumption habits. What does Web3 think about this? Are they also planning to develop AI assistants to encourage consumption?

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MysteryBoxAddict

· 01-12 07:50

Walmart's move is quite aggressive; OpenAI and Google are both vying for the shopping entry... It seems the future of retail will be dictated by AI.

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AirdropHunter420

· 01-11 16:28

Here comes another traffic entry point, these big AI companies just know how to compete. Walmart's move is clever, using ChatGPT and then Gemini, playing both sides haha. Wait... if this continues, small e-commerce might not survive, directly monopolized by AI-driven traffic?

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CryptoGoldmine

· 01-11 16:26

Walmart's move is essentially about competing for users' decision-making entry points, similar to the logic of computing power competition—whoever controls the traffic touchpoints has the bargaining power. From an ROI perspective, there is still significant room for transformation in traditional retail, and an increase in conversion rates will directly reflect on the stock price. However, the key still depends on the data—whether Gemini's actual conversion rate can outperform the ChatGPT wave.

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Lonely_Validator

· 01-11 16:26

Walmart's move is quite interesting. After just adopting ChatGPT in October, now they're jumping on Gemini—trying to do both... They're really treating AI as a traffic gateway. But to be honest, if this keeps up, what's the point of search engines anymore? They'll probably be replaced entirely by AI shopping assistants. On the Web3 side, we should also consider whether to integrate these AI tools into on-chain transactions—maybe another new opportunity.

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CrashHotline

· 01-11 16:24

Walmart's move here is a bit outrageous. They want to use both ChatGPT and Gemini, really going with whoever is popular. It feels a bit like freeloading.

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GweiTooHigh

· 01-11 16:22

Walmart's move is really clever, directly using AI as cashiers. But honestly, I'm more interested in when these AIs will be integrated into DeFi shopping scenarios... Traditional retail is still struggling, while Web3 should have taken off by now, right? --- Both OpenAI and Google are competing for the retail market. But I feel like this strategy is similar to the competition in the crypto ecosystem—ultimately, the winners are those few leading players. --- Placing orders directly in the chat box? Sure, but how is user data protected? No one is raising privacy concerns in this area. --- Walmart is collaborating with both companies, truly playing the best move to find the optimal solution. But if this continues, will search engines gradually become marginalized? --- Is consumer decision-making shifting mainly to AI? Then, should I also ask Gemini for market analysis when I buy crypto? Haha. --- It's interesting, but it still feels like more of a gimmick in the short term. The real test will be user conversion rates. --- This is the so-called "AI entrance war." But in the end, whoever controls the payment process is the real winner. Don't be fooled by surface appearances.

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SmartContractPlumber

· 01-11 16:20

Walmart's move here is basically about grabbing the entry point... but what I care more about is how well the access control is implemented in these integration solutions. Don't let it lead to data leaks or other issues later on.

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