Google announced new open standards and a set of AI-powered tools to help retailers sell products in an emerging “proxy shopping” environment where AI systems work on behalf of consumers.
The company introduced Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard that allows AI agents, retailers, and payment systems to work together throughout the shopping process, from product discovery to checkout to post-purchase support. Google said the protocol aims to reduce the need for separate integrations for each AI agent and platform.
“We believe in a future of agent commerce that is open, collaborative, and built to help everyone succeed,” Vidya Srinivasan, Google's vice president and general manager of advertising and commerce, said in a statement.
UCP is co-developed with retailers and platforms such as Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart. It is also backed by companies like Flipkart, Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe.
According to Google, UCP is compatible with existing standards such as Agent2Agent (A2A), Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), and Model Context Protocol (MCP). The goal, the company says, is to create a common language that allows AI agents to interact with retailers and payment providers without friction.
As part of the rollout, UCP will soon add new checkout features to the AI mode of search and the list of eligible Google products that appear in the Gemini app. Shoppers in the U.S. can use Google Pay to complete purchases during product research, and their payment method and shipping details are saved in Google Wallet. PayPal support is expected to follow.
Google said retailers will remain sellers of record and can customize the integration. The company added that the system is designed to reduce cart abandonment by allowing customers to make purchases earlier in the shopping process.
Additionally, Google launched Business Agent, a branded AI agent that lets shoppers chat directly with retailers on search. Agents can use your brand voice to answer product questions and guide users toward purchase.
Business Agent begins working with retailers such as Lowe's, Michaels, Poshmark, and Reebok. Eligible US retailers can enable this feature through Merchant Center.
In the coming months, retailers will be able to use their own data to train these agents to access customer insights, provide product offers, and make purchases directly within the chat experience, Google said.
To support conversational shopping discovery, Google also announced new data attributes for Merchant Center. These are designed to help AI systems understand product details beyond keywords, such as FAQs, compatible accessories, and substitutes.
Finally, Google also introduced Direct Offers, a new Google Ads pilot that allows retailers to display targeted discounts directly within AI mode. The system uses AI to determine whether an offer is relevant to shoppers who have a strong purchase intent.
“Direct offers allow advertisers to offer exclusive deals to shoppers who are willing to make a purchase,” Google said in a statement. The pilot will initially focus on discounts, with plans to expand to bundles and free shipping.
The tech giant said it is working with brands like Petco, Elf Cosmetics and Samsonite to test the feature.
