Google launches Universal Commerce Protocol for AI shopping

Google has unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard aimed at powering the next phase of AI-driven, agentic commerce across retail.

Developed by Google, UCP is designed to work across the entire shopping journey, allowing AI agents to discover products, complete purchases and manage post-purchase interactions on behalf of consumers. The protocol establishes a common language that lets agents and systems operate together without requiring bespoke integrations for each platform.

UCP was co-developed with major retailers and platforms including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, and has been endorsed by more than 20 companies across payments, retail and technology.

The protocol is compatible with existing standards such as Agent2Agent, the Agent Payments Protocol and the Model Context Protocol. It will soon power a new checkout experience on eligible Google product listings within AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, allowing shoppers to complete purchases using Google Pay and saved wallet details, with PayPal support to follow.

Retailers will remain the seller of record and retain control over customisation, while benefiting from reduced cart abandonment and improved conversion.

“In the coming months, we’ll work with retailers to expand globally and add more capabilities — like discovering related products, applying loyalty rewards, and powering custom shopping experiences on Google,” the company said in a blog.

Alongside UCP, Google is also rolling out Business Agent, a branded AI-powered assistant that allows shoppers to interact directly with retailers on Search during key decision-making moments. Acting like a virtual sales associate, the agent can answer product-specific queries in a brand’s voice, improving engagement and conversion.

The feature is going live with selected retailers like Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark and others and can be activated via Merchant Center. Over time, retailers will be able to train Business Agents using their own data, surface personalised recommendations, deliver targeted offers and enable direct, agent-led checkout within the conversational experience.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)