GOOGLE LAUNCHES UNIVERSAL CART SHOPPING TOOL IN THE US

Google has made "Universal Cart", a tool that lets users collect and track products found across its platforms, available to users in the United States, according to the company. Google first previewed the feature at its I/O developer event in May. The tool allows shoppers to save items they find while browsing on Google Search and in the Gemini app, with those items and their progress retained for when the user returns. Universal Cart can gather products from multiple retailers into a single space, acting as a central hub for browsing and tracking potential purchases. Google said the aim is to make online shopping easier to manage and help users stay organised.

The company has said it plans to extend Universal Cart to Gmail and YouTube in future, though it has not given a timeline for that integration. Users can be notified of price drops and restocks for saved items, removing the need to check individual retailer websites, and the tool can surface relevant promotional codes alongside saved products. Shoppers can pay for items directly from the cart using Google Wallet, or transfer them to a retailer's own checkout to complete the purchase there. Combined with Google Wallet, the tool can also assess the rewards offered by a user's saved cards to suggest a payment method.

Google's launch comes as other companies expand AI-assisted shopping tools, with OpenAI and Meta having introduced agentic AI assistants capable of shopping on a user's behalf, and Shopify recently opening its platform to allow AI agents to browse and buy from its listings. The timing, ahead of Black Friday and the Christmas shopping period, means the tool will be available to US users during one of the busiest periods for online retail. Google has not said when or whether Universal Cart will be extended beyond the United States.