Shopping in Google
AI Mode

With its new AI Mode, Google is fundamentally changing the way people search for information and shop online. It represents the biggest transformation in search since its very beginning.

The traditional “type a query and click a result” model is turning into an interactive conversation with artificial intelligence.

AI Mode is powered by the multimodal Gemini model, which can process text, images, and voice to generate responses directly within Google’s interface. This allows users to receive comprehensive answers without the need to click through dozens of websites.

Behind AI Mode operates the RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) technology, which enables the artificial intelligence to combine its generative capabilities with real information from the web. The system also uses a so-called query fan-out approach – breaking down a question into several smaller subtopics to better understand the context and provide more relevant answers.

The result is a dynamic environment that continuously adapts to the user, their language, location, preferences, and intent. In essence, Google is creating a new user mode in which searching becomes an interactive dialogue.

Source: Google Search

The most visible changes brought by AI Mode appear in the shopping experience. Here, Google combines the power of artificial intelligence with data from its Shopping Graph, which contains more than 50 billion products. Every hour, billions of records on prices, reviews, and availability are updated. In practice, this means that users no longer see just links to online stores, but a personalized visual overview of products.

At the core of the entire shopping ecosystem in AI Mode is the Google Merchant Center (GMC), a database that connects products from retailers with Google’s search system.

Every product that appears in AI Mode or in the Shopping tab draws its data directly from the Merchant Center: name, price, availability, images, description, reviews, and links to the specific online store. In the AI environment, however, the role of the Merchant Center goes further. It is no longer just a place where the product feed is stored; it becomes an active source of data for artificial intelligence.

AI Mode generates its responses directly from this information, combines it with other public sources, and creates personalized recommendations based on user context. For e-shops, this means that the quality of data in the Merchant Center is more important than ever before.

Incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated information can result in a product simply not appearing in AI responses or showing with an outdated price or incorrect availability. Conversely, accurate and regularly updated data give the AI greater confidence to include the product in its answers and display it correctly to the user.

A new feature in AI Mode is the so-called Agentic Checkout, a purchase that the AI can complete on behalf of the user. When a user selects a product, they can set a price tracking alert and a maximum amount they are willing to pay. If the price drops, AI Mode sends a notification and offers the option to “buy for me.” The system then completes the purchase with the retailer using Google Pay.

Zdroj: Google The Keyword

Google has also expanded features for the fashion segment. With the Virtual Try-On function, users can try on clothing virtually by simply uploading a photo. The system uses a generative model that understands body proportions, materials, and lighting, and can realistically show how a specific product looks on a real body.

AI Mode is not just an improved search engine… it is a new business ecosystem where artificial intelligence, data, and consumer decision-making come together.

Google has transformed its search engine into an assistant that can guide people from question to purchase. For e-shops, this means that success no longer depends on SERP rankings, but on how well their product data is prepared for AI Mode.