Google unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard designed to enable agentic commerce, where AI completes tasks on behalf of shoppers. UCP standardizes interactions between AI agents, retailers, and payment providers across the shopping journey, from discovery to purchase and post-sale support.
Open Standard for Agentic Commerce
UCP was co-developed with major industry players, including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart, and endorsed by over 20 companies such as American Express, Best Buy, Flipkart, Macy’s, Mastercard, Stripe, Visa, and Zalando. The protocol is compatible with existing standards like Agent2Agent (A2A), Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), and Model Context Protocol (MCP). By establishing a common framework, UCP allows agents to work seamlessly across retailers without requiring separate integrations for each agent or system.
UCP will initially support a new checkout feature on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app. Shoppers in the U.S. will be able to purchase directly from participating retailers using Google Pay, with PayPal integration coming soon. Retailers maintain seller-of-record status and can customize the integration for their business needs. Future updates will expand global reach and introduce features like product discovery, loyalty rewards, and custom shopping experiences.
Branded AI Agents for Retail
Google also introduced Business Agent, enabling shoppers to chat with brands directly on Search. Business Agents act as virtual sales associates, responding in the brand’s voice, answering questions, and facilitating purchases. The feature is already live with retailers including Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark, and Reebok, with U.S. retailers able to customize agents, train them on proprietary data, and offer purchases through agentic checkout.
Enhanced Retail Insights and Offers
To optimize product discovery in the AI-driven commerce era, Google is rolling out new Merchant Center data attributes. These go beyond traditional keywords to include contextual information like common product questions, accessory compatibility, and alternative options.
Google is also testing Direct Offers, allowing retailers to present exclusive discounts or promotions to shoppers actively considering a purchase. The pilot includes partnerships with Petco, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Samsonite, Rugs USA, and Shopify merchants. Google uses AI to surface offers when relevant, initially focusing on discounts, with future plans to include bundles, free shipping, and other value-driven incentives.
The move aligns with Google’s broader AI strategy, which includes recent Gemini-powered updates in Gmail to summarize emails, generate replies, and prioritize messages, demonstrating the company’s push to embed AI across multiple consumer and enterprise applications.
