Google said on Oct. 15 that Universal Cart is rolling out in the US across Google Search and the Gemini app, a cart it previewed earlier this year. The cart holds products from several retailers in a single place.

What it does

Google describes Universal Cart as an intelligent shopping cart and a hub for shopping on Google. It says a product saved from AI Mode in Search and another saved from the Gemini app both appear in the same cart when you return.

Google says the cart is built on the Shopping Graph, which it puts at more than 60 billion product listings, and sends notifications about price drops or when an item comes back in stock. The Verge adds that the cart can show promo codes it finds beside saved products.

Where it appears

Google's launch post names Search and the Gemini app, both in the US. The Verge reports plans to add Gmail and YouTube support, with no timeline announced. Google's May post had said the US rollout would come "this summer," with YouTube and Gmail to follow.

Checkout, payment and merchants

Google says you can check out with Google Pay "in just a few taps" with many stores right in the cart, or transfer items to the merchant's cart and finish on its site. It says the cart is built on Google Wallet, so it understands card perks and can help you choose a payment method.

Google names Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart, Wayfair and many Shopify merchants for these simplified checkout experiences. The Verge says a demo of the checkout options suggests you cannot check out with multiple retailers at once.

Google says shoppers get direct confirmations and customer support from the merchant, which remains the seller of record.

Data and privacy

As of Oct. 15, Google's launch post does not say what cart data Google stores, for how long, or whether it is used for ads. The Verge's report does not cover those terms either.

Why it matters

Our assessment: we have not used Universal Cart. Putting the cart inside Search and Gemini keeps a shopper's saved items, price alerts and payment choice on Google rather than on each store's site. Merchants staying the seller of record leaves confirmations and support with them, but the data terms above remain open.

What is not known

As of Oct. 15, Google's launch post gives no date for Gmail or YouTube support, and The Verge says none has been announced. The post lists only example merchants for in-cart Google Pay checkout, not every merchant that supports it.