Google Launches New Shopping Guide and Cart

New Google Shopping Products for Peak Season

Google launched new shopping products last week that could affect how marketers plan shopping promotions, in line with shopping behavior heading into the peak buying season. The releases include Google’s first deal-timing guide and wider U.S. access to a cart that works across Google apps and products.

Google Publishes Its First When to Buy Guide

Google published its first “When to Buy” guide. The guide outlines when the best deals are likely to be available across major product categories, based on 2025 shopping trends.

Timing Guidance and Promotion Planning

The overview is six pages long. It includes specific guidance on when consumers should start shopping in order to get the best deals. That information could help marketers identify when competition is likely to be highest, which could help attract more shoppers.

The guide also includes notes on key shopping trends to consider when planning promotions.

Universal Cart Opens to All U.S. Users

In addition, Google announced that Universal Cart has now been made available to all users in the U.S.

Universal Cart was first announced at Google’s I/O event in May. It lets users add items to their shopping carts while using various Google apps and products. Those items remain in the cart so users can return to them at any time.

Items Saved Across Google Search and Gemini

Google described how products stay together after they are saved in different places: “Let’s say you save a handbag from Steve Madden to your cart in AI Mode in Google Search, and later a sweater from Quince and lipgloss from Ulta Beauty in the Gemini app. Those products will be there in your cart when you come back later so you can pick up right where you left off.”

Alerts, Payment Options, and Checkout

The system will also send notifications about price drops on an item a user has added, or when an item comes back in stock. It can guide users on which payment option is best to use for each purchase, and it can alert them to relevant promo codes and offers.

“You can securely check out with Google Pay in just a few taps with many of your favorite stores right in the cart, or you can transfer your items directly to the merchant’s cart to finish buying on their site,” Google said.

Google said the system currently also offers simplified checkout experiences with Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart, and Wayfair, as well as with many Shopify merchants.

How the Releases Could Affect Marketers

The two products could shape promotion planning as the peak buying season approaches. The When to Buy guide sets out when deals are likely to be available and when consumers should start shopping, which could indicate when competition is likely to be highest. Universal Cart, now open to all U.S. users, keeps saved products available across Google apps and products, sends price and stock notifications, points users toward payment options and offers, and supports checkout with Google Pay or a transfer to a merchant’s own cart.

like.tg continues monitoring social media platform updates as Google releases shopping tools ahead of the peak buying season.