To further push the boundaries of consumerism, Google has launched a new open standard for agentic commerce called the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). In short, it is a framework that combines the power of AI agents and online shopping platforms to help customers buy more things.
Thanks to the introduction of UCP, Google is introducing three new online shopping features. To start, Google’s AI mode will have a new checkout feature that will allow customers to purchase eligible products from certain US retailers within Google Search. Currently, the feature works with Google Pay, but it will soon add PayPal compatibility and include more capabilities, like searching for related products and using loyalty points.
On the merchant side, UCP also set up the Business Agent feature, which Google said will be “a virtual sales associate who can answer product questions in the brand’s voice.” Business Agent launches tomorrow with early adopters including Lowe’s, Michaels, Poshmark, Reebok and more. Also for retailers, UCP is responsible for the new Direct Offers feature, which lets companies advertising with Google “present special offers directly to shoppers ready to purchase in AI mode.” The Direct Offers feature will work in conjunction with ads in the AI mode that Google is testing.
With UCP, Google Search, retailers and payment processors are uniting to make online shopping even easier, whether it’s finding what product to buy, completing a purchase, or offering “post-purchase support.” According to Google, UCP is compatible with existing industry protocols, such as Agent2Agent, Agent Payment Protocol, and Model Reference Protocol. UCP was also co-developed with industry giants like Shopify, Etsy, and Walmart, and is supported by even more companies in the commerce ecosystem, including Macy’s, Stripe, Visa, and others.
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