Google has started rolling out “direct checkout” in Canada, letting shoppers buy from some retailers without leaving the Gemini app or AI Mode in Google Search, Google Canada announced Wednesday. The first retailers are Lululemon, Shoppers Drug Mart, Simons and some Shopify merchants, The Canadian Press reports.

How it works

You ask Gemini or AI Mode for something specific, such as a style or colour, and it suggests products. If one comes from a partner retailer, you can buy it right there. Google says its AI can complete steps like placing the order “with your permission.”

  • Payment: Google Pay, using the cards and shipping address already saved in your Google Wallet.
  • Who you’re buying from: The retailer stays the seller of record, so returns and customer service should still go through the store.
  • Behind it: an open standard called the Universal Commerce Protocol, which Google and industry partners launched earlier this year to let AI agents talk to stores’ systems.

Google says more features, such as applying loyalty rewards at checkout, are coming in the next few months. Starting next year, a simpler setup in Google Merchant Center will let more retailers turn on direct checkout themselves, which could make the list of stores much longer.

Why Google is pushing it now

Google’s post cites a figure that 59 per cent of Canadian holiday shoppers plan to use an AI tool this season. OpenAI and Meta have added similar checkout features to their AI apps, The Canadian Press notes. And Shopify, whose merchants are part of the launch, said this week that it’s seeing shoppers try “delegated purchasing through personal agents”.

There’s a contrast here. Canada’s big banks are blocking personal AI agents from logging into customer accounts. Google’s approach is different: Gemini doesn’t get your bank login. It pays through Google Pay, with the store’s cooperation.

Why it matters: AI shopping agents are arriving in Canada right before the holiday rush, with Canadian retailers on board from day one. Before you let it buy anything, check which card is set as the default in Google Wallet, and confirm the store’s return policy, since the retailer, not Google, handles returns.