Google's Universal Cart now lets you shop several stores from one cart

Google began rolling out Universal Cart in the US on October 15. It is one shopping cart that works across Google Search (including AI Mode) and the Gemini app. Google showed it at I/O in May and promised a summer launch.

• One cart, many stores: items from different retailers sit together and carry over between Search and Gemini.
• Alerts: price-drop and back-in-stock notices, built on Google’s product data.
• Payment help: it can read Google Wallet to suggest a card, and it shows promo codes.
• Checkout: through Google Pay, or by sending you to the store’s own site.

Named merchants include Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart and Wayfair, plus many Shopify sellers. The store stays the seller, so confirmations and support come from them.

The catch: YouTube and Gmail, both promised in May, are missing for now. Canada and Australia are next, the EU is not mentioned, and PPC Land notes Google has not explained how it picks promo codes or ranks products.

What to do now

• Shoppers: try saving an item from a store you already use and watch for a price-drop alert before you buy.
• Store owners: check whether your platform, such as Shopify, has turned on Google checkout for your shop.
• Everyone: read the order confirmation, since the merchant, not Google, handles returns.

Try this prompt

I want to buy [product] under [budget]. Find three options from different stores, add the best one to my cart, and tell me what you would watch for before checkout.