Agentic Search can now act on your customers' behalf
For as long as there has been search, its job has ended in the same place. The searcher got a list of options, and then they did the rest themselves: rang the business, filled in the form, made the booking. Search found things. People did things.
That boundary has started to move. Google's AI Mode can now connect to other apps and complete tasks on the searcher's behalf. It's early, it's US-only for now, and the list of apps is short. But it points clearly to the next stage of AI search, Agentic Search, and businesses that take bookings, orders or enquiries should be paying attention.
On 16 July 2026, Google began letting users in the United States link apps, including Instacart, Canva and YouTube Music, to AI Mode so that tasks can be completed inside search: adding ingredients to a shopping cart, pulling up design templates, or saving a playlist. Google says support for more partner apps is coming. The feature builds on connected apps in the Gemini app, which already include services such as OpenTable, and on AI Mode's ability to check local stock.
The direction is clear: AI search is starting to complete the next step, not just recommend it. For businesses, being bookable, orderable and accurately described online becomes as important as being found. Early evidence also suggests most transactions will still finish on the business's own website or platform, so that final step needs to be easy.
What did Google launch?
Google's example is a barbecue. You ask AI Mode to help plan the menu and build a grocery list, and with your Instacart account linked, it adds the ingredients straight to your cart so you can check out. In the same way, you can ask Canva for flyer templates or have AI Mode build a party playlist and save it to YouTube Music.
The rollout began in the United States, with Google saying it is working with a range of partners and plans to add more apps soon.
Why does this matter if it's only in the US?
Because that's the usual pattern. AI Mode itself launched in the US in 2025 before expanding globally, including to Australia, later that year. Features that test well in the US tend to arrive here, and the businesses best placed to benefit are the ones that prepared before the feature landed rather than after.
It also fits a broader direction. Over the past six months, AI Mode has gained the ability to check whether an item is in stock at a nearby store, and Google's Personal Intelligence feature lets AI Mode draw on a user's Gmail and Google Photos for more tailored answers. Each step moves search from answering questions to handling tasks.
Is it just Google?
No. ChatGPT and Claude both support app integrations, and Australian businesses are already experimenting. In February, REA Group launched a realestate.com.au app inside ChatGPT that lets property seekers search listings in plain language, with results shown on a map with photos, prices and agent details. REA said younger buyers in particular are starting to use AI tools during their property search.
The competition between AI platforms to become the place where tasks get done is now well underway, and every platform needs businesses on the other end to complete those tasks.
What could agentic search mean for wineries?
Wineries are one of the clearest examples of where this is heading. Imagine a visitor asking: "Plan a Saturday in McLaren Vale for four of us, two cellar door tastings, a long lunch, and back in Adelaide by five."
Today, AI tools can suggest an itinerary. As app connections expand, the natural next step is for the AI to check tasting availability, reserve lunch through a connected booking platform and add it all to the visitor's calendar. Wineries whose bookings, tasting fees, group limits and opening hours are available online and kept accurate will be easy to include. Wineries that only take bookings by phone or email may still be mentioned, but they'll be harder for the AI to act on.
The same applies to wine club sign-ups and online orders. Clear product information, including varietal, vintage, price and the states you deliver to, makes it easier for an AI tool to recommend a specific bottle and send the customer to buy it.
What about trades and property?
Trades: quote requests, service areas and availability are the obvious candidates for AI-assisted booking. Google has already tested AI that contacts local businesses in the US to check pricing and availability on a searcher's behalf. A trade business with clear service areas, an online booking or quote request form, and accurate hours will be easier for these tools to work with.
Property: with portals already operating inside AI platforms, buyers can increasingly shortlist properties, compare suburbs and request inspections without starting on a portal or an agency website. Agents whose listings carry complete, accurate details, and whose own websites offer specific local insight, give AI tools more to work with when narrowing a buyer's options.
Will customers buy everything inside the AI?
Probably not. OpenAI launched an in-chat checkout in ChatGPT in September 2025, then stepped back from it in early 2026, shifting its focus to apps and to sending shoppers through to retailers. Merchant take-up had been limited, and the model that has emerged is closer to discovery in the AI and completion on the business's own site or platform.
This is important for businesses to know. AI is increasingly doing the researching, comparing and shortlisting. The final booking or purchase often still happens with you, which means your website and booking process need to make that last step quick and obvious for someone who arrives already decided.
What should your business do now?
Make bookings and enquiries possible online, not just by phone or email.
Keep key details consistent everywhere: hours, prices, service areas, availability and contact details should match across your website, Google Business Profile and booking platforms.
Ask your booking or ordering platform about AI integrations. Many are already building connections to AI tools.
Use structured data on your website so machines can read your opening hours, products, services and locations accurately.
Shorten the final step. A customer handed over by an AI tool has usually made up their mind. Don't make them hunt for the button.
The directory told customers you existed. The search engine told them where to find you. AI is now starting to make the booking for them. Each shift rewarded the businesses that made themselves easy to find in the new format, and each one penalised those still optimised for the old one.
If you'd like to check how easy your business is for AI tools to find, understand and act on, we're happy to walk through it with you. A short review now is much easier than catching up later.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are connected apps in Google AI Mode?
Connected apps let users link third-party services to Google AI Mode so it can complete tasks rather than only answer questions. Google launched the feature in the United States on 16 July 2026 with apps including Instacart, Canva and YouTube Music. For example, a user can build a grocery list in AI Mode and have the ingredients added directly to their Instacart cart. Google says more partner apps will be added.
Can Google AI Mode book or buy things for customers in Australia?
Not yet. As of July 2026, AI Mode's connected apps feature is available only in the United States, and Google has not announced an Australian release date. Google features have commonly launched in the US before expanding to other markets, as AI Mode itself did in 2025, so Australian businesses can reasonably expect similar capabilities to arrive over time.
What is agentic search?
Agentic search describes AI search tools that take actions on a user's behalf, such as adding items to a cart, making a booking or contacting a business, rather than simply returning information. Google's AI Mode connected apps, launched in July 2026, and app integrations in ChatGPT and Claude are early examples. It shifts search from helping people find options to helping them complete the next step.
How can a winery prepare for AI booking and planning tools?
Make cellar door tastings, restaurant bookings and wine orders available online through a reliable booking or ordering platform. Publish accurate opening hours, tasting fees, group size limits, accessibility details and delivery regions, and keep them consistent across your website and Google Business Profile. The more complete and machine-readable this information is, the easier it is for AI tools to recommend your winery and act on that recommendation.
Will AI agents replace my business website?
No. AI tools increasingly handle the research and shortlisting, but early evidence suggests most bookings and purchases still finish on the business's own website or platform. OpenAI, for example, stepped back from in-chat checkout in ChatGPT in early 2026 in favour of sending shoppers through to retailers. Your website becomes the place where an AI-referred customer, who has usually already decided, completes the final step.
