Is Google Killing the Classic Webshop?

You might not see it yet - but the classic webshop experience is being quietly replaced.

With Google’s newest AI shopping tools, including virtual try-ons and automated purchases, the user’s journey may never lead to your site again.

Over the past few weeks, Google has announced a series of AI-powered shopping features that may look harmless at first glance, but which, upon closer inspection, could signal the slow death of the classic webshop as we know it.

With tools like "Try it on", AI-powered comparisons, and even agentic checkout where Google can complete purchases for users, we’re entering a future where consumers might fulfill their shopping needs entirely within the search engine - without ever visiting a webshop.

As someone who’s spent years helping companies grow through organic visibility, it’s time to ask: Are we witnessing the beginning of the end for traditional online shops?

Google AI Mode and Virtual Try-On

Let’s start with what’s new.

In May 2025, Google introduced its new AI Mode. It's a shopping experience that blends Gemini (Google’s generative AI model) with the Shopping Graph, an index of over 50 billion product listings.

AI Mode allows users to:

• Ask shopping-related questions (e.g., “What’s a good travel backpack for rainy weather?”)
• See visual inspiration panels that dynamically update
• Compare features and prices across shops
• Virtually try on clothes using real photos of themselves
• Let Google buy the item for them through agentic checkout

That last point may be the most radical. With agentic checkout, users can set preferences (color, size, price range), and when a price drops, Google can complete the purchase on their behalf.

Meanwhile, the virtual try-on tool enables shoppers to upload a full-body photo and instantly see how an item fits. Not on a model, but on themselves.

Google’s image generation tech adapts to different body types, materials, and poses, simulating realistic visuals with surprising accuracy.

These features are currently rolling out in Search Labs in the U.S., but they’re a glimpse into a possible global future.

Why Visit a Webshop at All?

This brings us to the core concern:

If everything - from discovery, comparison, visualization, and even checkout - can happen on Google, why would a user ever click through to a brand's actual webshop?

Let’s draw a parallel.

Think back 10-15 years. Physical retail stores were the norm. But then e-commerce rose fast. In Denmark where I'm from, more than 11% of retail stores closed in the last decade.

Why?

Because consumers discovered they could get the same products - faster, cheaper, and more conveniently - online.

Now, the same pattern could repeat, but this time with webshops as the "physical stores", and Google’s AI shopping experience as the “better online option.”

Instead of browsing around multiple sites with inconsistent UX, cookie banners, popups, and slow load times, users might prefer one smooth, predictive, AI-powered interface: Google.

The Death of Discovery?

In the classic e-commerce setup, a brand invests in SEO, SEM, social media, and email to drive traffic to their store.

The goal? Convert a visitor into a buyer.

But with AI shopping, the "discovery" layer moves upstream into the search engine itself.

Now, it’s Google (not the webshop) that owns the discovery experience.

And just like what happened with zero-click answers in SEO, webshops may find themselves bypassed entirely unless they pay to play (or have their feeds optimized for better visibility in Google results…) - or unless they offer something truly unique.

For example:

• A user searching for “relaxed-fit men’s jeans” no longer gets 10 blue links — they get a personalized product grid, filters, try-on previews, and price comparisons, all powered by AI.
• “Buy” buttons sit right there in the SERP, powered by Google Pay and third-party integrations.
• If you want to try on the jeans, you can do it directly in the search interface.

The result?

Google satisfies the user’s shopping intent before they ever hit your webshop.

Webshops Are Becoming Commoditized

AI strips away branding and storytelling. The stuff that makes a webshop feel different.

In Google's AI Mode, all that’s left are product features, prices, stock status, and maybe a small image carousel. For brands, this means you’re no longer controlling the narrative. Your product is reduced to a data point in Google’s Shopping Graph. And it's just one among billions.

From a user’s perspective, this commoditization is great.

They get the best deal with the least friction. From a webshop’s perspective, it’s dangerous.

The trust, design, and emotional triggers that used to increase conversions are now invisible unless the user makes the rare decision to click through.

Will Consumers Buy In?

Of course, this transition isn’t guaranteed. As the Los Angeles Times points out, there’s still skepticism around AI agents.

Many users are wary of handing over control.

Especially when it comes to letting AI make purchases with their credit card. And AI hasn’t always been reliable: hallucinated product specs, irrelevant recommendations, or outdated pricing still plague some tools.

But adoption is rising.

Adobe reports that 39% of U.S. consumers already use generative AI for shopping, and over half plan to in 2025.

Gen Z and Millennials are especially open to these experiences, particularly when they save time.

If AI experiences keep improving (and Google continues to blend utility with trust) the tipping point could come faster than expected.

A New Role for the Webshop?

So, where does this leave the classic webshop?

It's not dead yet. But it needs to evolve. Here’s how:

1. Feed the Shopping Graph

If you’re not in Google’s product listings, you’re invisible. Webshops must invest in structured product data, Google Merchant Center, and product feeds to stay present in AI-powered interfaces.

2. Double Down on Brand and Community

Your webshop should offer something AI can't — emotional connection, community, or storytelling. Content, email, and loyalty programs will be key. So will creative campaigns outside of search (social, creator-led, experiential).

3. Innovate Around AI

Rather than resisting, embrace AI. Add your own AI assistants, improve customer service with chatbots, and integrate with emerging platforms like Perplexity, TikTok Shop, or ChatGPT’s browsing.

4. Push for Direct Access

Encourage app downloads, SMS opt-ins, and email subscriptions. When Google owns the top of the funnel, you need to own the middle and bottom.

A Familiar Pattern of History Repeating Itself

To some, this AI shift may feel like déjà vu.

Remember when Amazon started as a bookstore? Retailers dismissed it - until it wasn’t just a bookstore.

Remember when mobile-first design was optional? Or when Facebook reach was organic?

Each technological leap felt optional - until it wasn’t.

We may be in the early stages of a similar moment now. AI is changing the rules of discovery and conversion. And webshops that cling to the past risk becoming like the physical stores that failed to digitize fast enough.

It’s Time for Rethinking

Google isn’t trying to “kill” webshops out of spite.

They’re simply responding to user behavior - giving people what they want: speed, relevance, personalization.

But the side effect may be fewer visits to individual webshops. That means brands need to think differently. How do you stay relevant in a world where Google owns the first impression - and possibly the last?

For some, it will mean doubling down on community and brand-building. For others, it’s about feeding clean data into the AI ecosystem. For all of us, it means rethinking what a webshop is and where its value truly lies.

Because while the “classic” webshop may not be dead yet, it’s certainly under pressure.

And if history is any guide, pressure leads to evolution - or extinction.