As the online shopping process evolves, we want to help retailers take advantage of the latest era of AI-assisted discovery and maximize sales opportunities through AI-assisted means.
This week at the National Retail Federation conference, Google announced a range of AI-based features for retailers aimed at providing more connectivity opportunities in the era of conversational commerce.
Because, as Google points out, online shopping is changing.
“Google search has always been a great starting point for shopping on the web. With AI mode, we see these journeys move from keywords to natural conversations. That's a fundamental change. Where we once had to sort through pages of search results, AI does the hard work of narrowing down exactly what we want to buy the most. ”
To help brands address this, Google announced the new Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. This allows retailers to build their own catalog-specific AI agents.
As you can see from these example screens, retailers will be able to build their own AI tools based on Google's Gemini model to guide users through conversational queries.
“Powered by Gemini Enterprise for CX, our most advanced Gemini model is introducing a new pre-built, configurable agent that can be deployed in days instead of months and can manage the entire customer lifecycle, from initial product discovery to autonomous post-purchase resolution. TThese agents are much more than simple chatbots that answer questions. They can independently plan, reason, and act on your behalf, under your supervision. ”
These chatbots will reside on brand websites and will also be deployed by Google business agentThis allows shoppers to chat with brands through Google Search.
Meta launched a similar service last year, allowing businesses to build their own AI agents to match evolving shopping behaviors. This could become essential as more people become accustomed to conversational discovery and guidance from AI tools.
Google also Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) enables purchases directly from chatbot experiences.
As you can see in this sequence, this process allows searchers to discover and purchase items within a single stream, without having to connect to different systems for each process.
“Shoppers can buy with confidence with Google Pay using payment methods and shipping information already stored in Google Wallet, and soon they'll be able to buy with PayPal. Retailers can remain sellers and customize integrations to their specific needs, helping them capture sales and avoid cart abandonment.”
This will further advance Google's efforts as an agent by streamlining the AI-assisted shopping process.
Google said UCP will first be available to shoppers in the U.S., and rollout will expand later.
Google is also expanding its delivery partnerships to expand access to delivery services in the US, as well as testing more ad types in AI mode, including direct offers, which will allow retailers to offer discounts within AI chats.
Some useful tools to help guide retailers into the next era of online commerce.
And as more and more people chat with AI agents, this is becoming the norm, and big brands in particular may need to add their own AI agents to keep up.
