Google launches new agentic commerce standard
Google is offering a new open standard designed to enable a seamless shopping experience based on agentic artificial intelligence.
The tech giant has introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard for agentic AI-based commerce intended to cover the entire shopping journey from discovery and buying to post-purchase support. Google announced on the first day of the National Retail Federation’s annual Big Show at the Jacob Javits center in New York City.
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Instead of requiring unique connections for every individual agent, UCP enables all AI agents to interact. UCP is built to work across verticals and is compatible with existing industry protocols like Agent2Agent (A2A), Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Retailers including Walmart and Wayfair are developing agentic AI-based shopping offerings based on UCP. Walmart and Wayfair both helped Google co-develop UCP, along with other retailers including Shopify, Etsy and Target. Retailers and payment service providers including Adyen, American Express, Best Buy, Flipkart, Macy’s Inc., Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, Visa and Zalando have endorsed the standard.
Several upcoming UCP features include:
A new checkout feature on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode"in search and the Google Gemini agentic AI app will allow shoppers to check out from eligible U.S. retailers as they are researching on Google. Shoppers will be able to complete transactions with Google Pay using payment methods and shipping info already saved in Google Wallet and soon will be able to make a purchase with PayPal.
Retailers will remain the seller of record, with the ability to customize the integration to their specific needs. In the coming months, Google plans to work with retailers to expand globally and add more capabilities, such as discovering related products, applying loyalty rewards, and supporting custom shopping experiences on Google.
A Business Agent solution allows consumers to chat with brands within search. It will serve as a virtual sales associate that can answer product questions in a brand’s voice. Business Agent is now live with retailers including Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark and Reebok.
Eligible U.S. retailers can choose to activate and customize this branded agent in Merchant Center. In the coming months, retailers will be able to train the agent based on their data, access new customer insights, provide offers for related products and enable direct purchases including agentic checkout within the experience.
- Dozens of new data attributes in Merchant Center are designed for easier discovery on surfaces like AI Mode, Gemini and Business Agent. These new attributes complement retailers’ existing data feeds and go beyond traditional keywords to include things like answers to common product questions, compatible accessories or substitutes. Google will be rolling these attributes out with a small group of retailers soon and expanding to more in the coming months.
A new Direct Offers pilot in Google Ads allows advertisers to present exclusive offers for shoppers based on conversational prompts directly in AI Mode. With Direct Offers, retailers set up relevant offers they want to feature in their campaign settings and Google will use AI to determine when an offer is relevant to display.
Google is initially focusing on discounts for the pilot and will expand to support the creation of offers with other attributes that help shoppers prioritize value over price alone, such as bundles and free shipping. Currently, Google is piloting the feature with retailers including Petco, E.l.f. Cosmetics, Samsonite, Rugs USA and Shopify sellers.
