Google’s Universal Cart, a shopping cart that spans multiple retailers, launched in the US on October 15. It keeps products from different stores in one place. It also alerts you when a saved item drops in price or comes back in stock.
Google first showed the cart at I/O on May 19 with a summer target for the US. Suresh Ganapathy, Google’s senior director of product management for consumer shopping, confirmed the rollout in a Keyword blog post.
Today, Universal Cart is rolling out in the U.S. across Google Search and in the Gemini app.
How Google’s Universal Cart works
You add products to the cart from AI Mode in Google Search or from the Gemini app. Google says your progress carries across its services. The main features are:
- Price and stock alerts: notifications when a saved item gets cheaper or returns to stock. Google says these draw on its Shopping Graph of more than 60 billion product listings.
- Card perks and promo codes: the cart is built on Google Wallet. Google says that lets it read your card perks, suggest which card to pay with and show relevant promo codes.
- Checkout: pay with Google Pay or get sent to the retailer’s own site. Google says this runs on its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP).
The screens above are Google’s own mockups, which it labels illustrative and simulated. The 2% cash back, SAVE20 code and $28 price drop are examples rather than live offers.
The retailer stays the seller. Google says the merchant still handles order confirmations and customer support. That holds whether you pay through Google Pay or finish on the store’s site.
Which stores work with it
Google names these retailers in its launch material:
- Nike
- Sephora
- Target
- Ulta Beauty
- Walmart
- Wayfair
- Shopify merchants
Treat that as Google’s list of examples, not a full catalogue of supported stores.
The Google Wallet question
Part of the convenience comes from a data link. Google says the cart reads your Google Wallet card perks to suggest a payment card and surface promo codes. We looked at a similar link when Gemini gained access to Google Wallet last month.
Google’s launch post explains what the cart does with that information. We have not yet reviewed Google’s privacy terms for cart data, so how long it is kept remains an open question for now. A cart that knows your cards and the items you’re watching is useful. It is also a detailed record of what you plan to buy.
What comes next
In May, Google said YouTube and Gmail would follow the US launch. The October 15 post gives no date for either. It covers the US only, and we have no confirmed date for other countries.
For more on the Gemini app, see our coverage of Gemini’s new Task Mode and Gemini 4 Argon for Pro and Ultra subscribers.
Sources: Google, Google (May 19)
