Episode Summary: "Can Google's AI Shopping Revolution Challenge ChatGPT and Perplexity?"

Podcast: Omni Talk Retail
Date: November 20, 2025
Hosts: Chris Walton, Anne Mezzenga (Guest Expert)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores Google’s bold advancements in AI-powered shopping, including conversational search, agentic checkout, and an AI phone assistant that can call stores on behalf of consumers. The hosts dissect whether these innovations can help Google leapfrog competitors like ChatGPT and Perplexity, how they might reshape traditional e-commerce, and what retailers should do in response.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Google’s New AI Shopping Features

• Conversational Search:
  • Google now offers a chatbot-style shopping experience, allowing users to ask natural language questions and receive tailored responses with images, prices, reviews, and inventory.
  • "Consumers can ask shopping questions in AI mode, Google's conversational search feature that lets you use natural language queries in a chatbot style interface." (Chris, 00:13)
• Agentic Checkout:
  • Enables seamless purchase within Google Search, compatible with select merchants (e.g., Wayfair, Chewy, and Shopify stores).
• AI Calls to Stores:
  • An AI assistant can call local businesses for product availability, prices, and promotions. Initially rolling out for toys, health & beauty, and electronics.
  • "The AI will also call businesses on your behalf to find out if a store carries a product, how much it costs, and whether there are any promotions." (Chris, 00:56)

2. Impact on Traditional E-Commerce and Retailers

• Retailer Challenges:
  • Retailers face increased complexity: they must optimize for Google’s ecosystem AND new AI-powered search platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
  • "They still have to make sure that they're set up to support that search… now have to also figure out how they're going to appear on these other large language search platforms." (Guest Expert, 01:50)
• Strategic Shifts Required:
  • AI-driven shopping “requires new teams, new thinking”—echoes the strategic pivots seen during the e-commerce boom.
  • The need to integrate AI expertise into organizational structures, possibly via roles like Chief AI Officer.
  • "It requires a complete, it requires new teams, it requires new thinking." (Guest Expert, 01:59)
• Google’s Data Advantage:
  • Google possesses comprehensive, multi-dimensional customer data (from search, maps, calendars, etc.), positioning it uniquely for personalized shopping.
  • "Google is just, has just kind of surpassed some of the other search platforms...if anyone’s going to be that really true personal assistant for us." (Guest Expert, 02:33)

3. Can Google Leapfrog ChatGPT and Perplexity?

• Pro-Google View:
  • Google’s pervasiveness in daily life and user comfort could help it leap ahead as conversational commerce matures.
  • "We could see Google take a pretty big leap here over OpenAI’s ChatGPT with the addition of some of these things." (Guest Expert, 02:54)
• Critical View (Chris):
  • Google Shopping has a history of failure to gain traction; the entrenched user expectation of “Google as search” could be a barrier to innovation.
  • Emerging platforms like ChatGPT aren’t limited by legacy user experiences or business models.
  • "Our mind is anchored as consumers on the Google experience that we know today, which I think can be a hindrance..." (Chris, 05:01)
  • "Google shopping tried to get off the ground for a long time and it never did." (Chris, 04:47)

4. Skepticism and Critique of the AI Calling Feature

• Retail Staff Perspective:
  • Both hosts dismiss the utility of AI that calls stores for information, viewing it as unrealistic and burdensome to store teams.
  • "If you’ve ever worked in a retail store, you barely get to the people searching for products who are human beings..." (Guest Expert, 03:30)
  • "The call feature's absolutely ridiculous. I mean, I hated taking calls in the store..." (Chris, 05:37)
• Against Omnichannel Best Practices:
  • The call feature is seen as contrary to true omnichannel retail, which should leverage live, up-to-date inventory data instead of phone calls.
  • "It goes against, it’s antithetical to everything good omnichannel retailing is about and what Google should be trying to do with agentic shopping..." (Chris, 05:59)
• Future of the Feature:
  • Both agree the calling feature is likely to “sunset over time.”
  • "I think it’s a feature that is kind of silly and it’s not going to be useful and it’s going to sunset over time anyway." (Chris, 06:21)
  • "Google, I think that's going to be a fail fast. Let's put that one to bed." (Guest Expert, 07:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Retailers' Challenge:
  "It requires new teams, it requires new thinking…new positions within your organization."
  — Guest Expert (01:59)
• On Google’s Advantage:
  "Google is still a go-to destination that has the best cumulative information about who we are as people inside and outside of our shopping."
  — Guest Expert (02:15)
• Skeptical Take:
  "Google shopping tried to get off the ground for a long time and it never did."
  — Chris (04:47)
• Against the AI Call Feature:
  "It’s a feature that is kind of silly and it’s not going to be useful and it’s going to sunset over time anyway."
  — Chris (06:21)
• On AI Assistants Endorsement:
  "A group of reporters asked ChatGPT which is the better, more effective search platform and ChatGPT actually said Gemini is better."
  — Guest Expert (06:38)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00-01:43] — Overview of Google’s new AI shopping features
• [01:43-04:35] — Retailer implications, strategic challenges, Google’s continued dominance, and pros/cons of new features
• [04:35-06:32] — Chris’s rebuttal: historical skepticism, user expectations, and critique of the call feature
• [06:32-07:20] — Reflection on Gemini, potential shifts in shopping behavior, and consensus on the AI call feature’s shortcomings

Conclusion

Google’s latest AI advancements represent a significant step in conversational commerce, potentially enabling more seamless shopping experiences and challenging emerging LLM-powered competitors. The hosts and guest expert agree that, operationally, retailers must fundamentally reimagine their e-commerce and platform strategies to keep pace. While Google’s deep integration into users’ lives may grant it a unique advantage, skepticism persists around some features (notably, the AI calling function) that may not align with retail realities or consumer expectations. Both excitement and caution define the outlook on whether Google can truly revolutionize AI shopping.