Shopify and Google AI Mode: preparing your store for checkout in search
Partner · Web development, SEO and GEO
In AI Mode (the AI mode of Google Search) and in the Gemini app, a customer can now find a product, pay for it and complete the order without visiting your site. Since September 18, 2026, Shopify has turned this checkout on by default for its eligible U.S. stores, as part of a gradual rollout. Canada is not included yet, but a Quebec store can already prepare.
The five steps of a purchase in AI Mode
Google has offered this checkout to a first group of merchants since February 2026. The September 18 expansion brings Shopify stores into the journey below.
Inside AI Mode or Gemini
- 1Your customer describes the needThey type the request the way they would say it, for example “a weekend travel bag,” then refine it as the conversation goes on.
- 2AI Mode suggests productsImages, prices, reviews and availability come from the data you send to Google Merchant Center.
- 3They click BuyThe button only appears on products eligible for direct checkout. Google then adds the item to your cart.
- 4They confirm shipping and paymentThey pay with Google Pay, using the card and address saved in their Google account, in a checkout provided by Shopify.
- 5They click Pay nowThe transaction only goes through after their confirmation. They never left the conversation.
The order lands in your Shopify store. You remain the seller: the customer relationship and the delivery are yours.
To be eligible, your store must have published its terms of service, its privacy policy and its return and refund policy. The documentation we reviewed does not yet explain how returns or confirmation emails are handled in this journey.
What changes for a Shopify store
It is switched on without you. Google notified merchants by email that their products were now eligible for native checkout. To opt out, go to Sales channels, then Agentic in the Shopify admin: turn off “Allow Shopify to manage for me,” open Google AI Mode and Gemini, turn off Direct checkout and save. Your products stay visible, but the customer is sent to your store to pay.
GA4 does not see these sales. According to Shopify, Google Analytics and your custom pixels do not fire in this checkout. Only two server-to-server events are sent: checkout started and checkout completed. To track these sales, your reports will need to start from Shopify orders rather than GA4.
Some features do not carry over. Subscriptions, bundles, customizable products and B2B-only products cannot be bought this way. Local delivery, in-store pickup and pickup points are not available. Some of your checkout blocks, such as upsells, custom fields and loyalty programs, may not display. Your discount codes and automatic discounts do work.
What a Quebec store can prepare
For now, the store must be based in the United States and sell to U.S. customers. A customer located elsewhere is sent to the online store. One Google help page announces Canada and Australia for next year, with no date, while another already lists them among eligible countries: the arrival date is worth watching.
Three things to prepare now
- Clean up your Merchant Center data. Google asks for complete, up-to-date product data. It is also adding new attributes: answers to common product questions, compatible accessories and substitutes. Well-filled product listings in French can make a difference in these answers.
- Reread your published policies. Terms of service, privacy, returns and refunds are required. With Quebec's Law 25, it is also a good time to check what your privacy policy says about third-party platforms.
- Plan your measurement. Sales made in AI Mode will not show up in GA4. Decide now how your reports will track them, for example from Shopify orders.
Our eCommerce agency prepares your Merchant Center, your policies and your measurement with you before checkout arrives in Canada.
What a visit from an AI is worth is covered in AI traffic in ecommerce. The role of your product data is detailed in Google Shopping: the feed decides.
- Shopify Help Center, Selling on Google AI Mode and Gemini, accessed September 28, 2026. Source for the default activation, eligibility requirements, opting out, pixels, unsupported features and U.S.-based stores.
- Google Merchant Center Help, How to onboard to the Universal Commerce Protocol, accessed September 28, 2026. Source for the announced arrival in Canada and Australia.
- Google Merchant Center Help, About the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and UCP-powered checkout feature on Google, accessed September 28, 2026. Source for the Buy button, Google Pay, the seller of record and the list of eligible countries.
- Shopify, Google AI Shopping Features: How to Maximize Your Visibility, April 2, 2026. Source for natural-language requests, product listings, adding to cart and purchase confirmation.
- Google, New tech and tools for retailers to succeed in an agentic shopping era, January 11, 2026. Source for Google Wallet and the new product attributes.
- Search Engine Roundtable, Google Merchant Center Notifications For Native Checkout, September 22, 2026. Source for the email sent to merchants and the February 2026 launch.
- Elsop, Google AI Mode Checkout Goes Live: GA4 Doesn't Fire, September 23, 2026. Source for the September 18, 2026 date and tracking through orders.
Geneviève puts the strategy for your engagement into action. She leads all our web development projects: Shopify, WordPress and the new ways of building a site with AI. She manages our team of developers and translates your business needs into technical language. She runs your organic search (SEO), your visibility in AI answers (GEO) and your site's conversion rate optimization (CRO). Her work is at the heart of three goals: Attract customers with SEO and AI, Improve your site's conversion, and Strengthen your visibility in AI answers. With Gabriel, she also builds the landing pages for your advertising campaigns. She writes mainly about SEO, AI visibility and web design.
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