Google Launches Universal Commerce Protocol to Power AI-Driven Shopping and Agentic Checkout

Google has unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at accelerating “agentic commerce,” where AI agents can complete shopping tasks on behalf of users. Central to the announcement is the launch of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard designed to enable AI agents to work seamlessly across the entire retail journey—from product discovery and checkout to post-purchase support.

UCP establishes a shared language that allows agents, retailers, and payment providers to interact without requiring custom integrations for each platform. The protocol is compatible with existing standards such as Agent2Agent, Agent Payments Protocol, and Model Context Protocol.

Google said UCP was co-developed with retailers including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart, and has received backing from more than 20 ecosystem partners spanning payments, ecommerce, and retail.

"UCP will soon power a new checkout feature on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, allowing shoppers to check out from eligible U.S. retailers right as they’re researching on Google," the company said in a blog post.

Shoppers will be able to complete purchases using Google Pay and saved details in Google Wallet, with PayPal support planned. Retailers will remain the seller of record while reducing cart abandonment during the research phase.

Google also announced the launch of Business Agent, a branded AI chat experience that allows shoppers to interact directly with retailers on Search. The feature will roll out with partners such as Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark, and Reebok.

Additionally, Google is expanding Merchant Center data attributes to improve product discovery in conversational interfaces and introducing Direct Offers, a pilot ad format that surfaces targeted discounts directly within AI-powered shopping results.