Gap brands will soon let shoppers buy directly from Gemini

Gap $GPS Inc., the parent of Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta, said it will allow customers to complete purchases without leaving Google $GOOGL's Gemini app, a move CNBC reported is the first of its kind among major fashion retailers. The company made the announcement at the Shoptalk Spring conference.

The announcement follows a broader shift in consumer behavior — shoppers are relying more heavily on AI tools to find products, which has pressured retailers to reconsider how they reach customers outside of conventional search, according to CNBC. "It's not just keyword search anymore, right? It's conversations," Gap Inc. chief technology officer Sven Gerjets told CNBC.

The Gemini deal is one of two AI moves Gap announced at Shoptalk Spring. The second is a sizing tool built on Bold Metrics' Agent Sizing Protocol. The tool works within conversational shopping experiences to surface personalized fit recommendations — in place of a static size guide — when a customer is already in the buying moment, the company said.

When a shopper finds a Gap product through Gemini or Google's AI Mode in Search, the transaction can be completed without ever leaving the platform. Gap handles shipping and fulfillment; payment goes through Google Pay.

Gemini will not crawl Gap's website for listings. Instead, Gap will feed the details directly to the platform — a setup that lets the retailer control what shoppers see and ensures the listings stay accurate, according to CNBC.

Gerjets told CNBC the capability has not yet launched but said rollout to customers is expected "imminently." At launch, the experience will not support loyalty account connections or rewards redemption, Gerjets told CNBC, though he said those features could be added as the platform matures.

"We are not pursuing AI for novelty," Gerjets said in a statement. "These partnerships are about solving real customer problems — helping shoppers feel confident about fit and making it easier to complete a purchase."

Gap said both features address separate friction points: Bold Metrics targets size uncertainty, while Gemini checkout removes the need to leave the platform to complete a purchase. Gap is using Google's Universal Commerce Protocol for the integration, which the company said prioritizes merchant oversight of how transactions are handled.

CNBC reported that no other major apparel rivals have disclosed a similar arrangement with Gemini. Gerjets told CNBC the company views its current agentic commerce setup as an early-stage effort that will be built out further.