Google wants artificial intelligence to shop for you

Google is announcing a new phase of online shopping, in which artificial intelligence will not only help with product search, but will also perform specific tasks on behalf of users. So-called "agentic commerce", where AI agents take over part of the purchasing process, is rapidly moving from concept to practice, according to Google.

In this context, the company presented several innovations with which it aims to lay an open foundation for the future of digital commerce, based on collaboration between merchants, platforms and payment service providers.

“Universal Commerce Protocol” as a common language

The main innovation is the introduction of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard for agentic commerce. UCP is designed to cover the entire purchasing journey – from product discovery and purchase to after-sales support.

Instead of separate and complex integrations for each individual UI agent, UCP introduces a common language that allows agents and systems to easily collaborate across platforms. The standard is compatible with existing industry protocols such as “Agent2Agent” (A2A), “Agent Payments Protocol” (AP2) and “Model Context Protocol” (MCP), and is designed for use across industries.

Wide support of merchants and payment systems

UCP was developed in collaboration with major retailers such as Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart, and has been endorsed by more than 20 companies from the broader ecosystem, including Adyen, American Express, Mastercard, Stripe, Visa, Zalando, and others.

In the first phase, UCP will power a new checkout functionality on select Google Product Ads in “AI Mode” on search and the Gemini app. US users will be able to checkout directly while exploring products, paying via Google Pay using their Google Wallet details, with PayPal support coming soon.

Google emphasizes that merchants remain the “seller of record” and can customize the integration to their needs while reducing abandoned carts.

“Business Agent” as a digital seller

In addition to the UCP standard, Google is also introducing “Business Agent,” a branded custom UI agent that enables direct chat between buyers and merchants right in the search engine.

The feature acts as a virtual sales consultant, answering product questions in a brand-specific tone. “Business Agent” will be available starting tomorrow at select U.S. retailers, including Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark, and Reebok. Merchants will be able to manage and customize it through Merchant Center.

In the future, Google plans additional capabilities, such as agent learning based on the merchant's own data, offering related products, access to customer insights, and direct purchase within the conversation, including "agentic checkout."

“Direct Offers” in AI Mode

As part of its AI Mode ad testing, Google is also introducing a new feature called “Direct Offers.” This allows advertisers to show exclusive offers, such as discounts or special terms, to users who are about to make a purchase.

Google will use artificial intelligence to determine when an offer is relevant to display, aiming to improve the user experience and help merchants close the sale. The pilot will initially focus on discounts, but other forms of value, such as product bundles or free shipping, will be added later.

The future of agent shopping

With the announced innovations, Google clearly communicates that it sees the future of online shopping in an open, agent-supported ecosystem, where artificial intelligence acts as an intermediary between buyers and merchants. How quickly and to what extent this vision is realized will depend on both the willingness of merchants and the trust of users.