Key takeaways Google launched the Universal Commerce Protocol at the National Retail Federation conference, establishing an open standard for AI-driven shopping across discovery, purchase, and post-sa...
Speaking at the National Retail Federation's annual conference in New York on Sunday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard designed to enable AI agents to handle the entire shopping journey from product discovery to checkout to post-purchase support.
"It was built to meet the needs of retailers and customers, keeping the full customer relationship front and center from the moments of discovery, decision, and beyond," Pichai said during his keynote address.
The protocol represents Google's latest effort to secure its position in the rapidly evolving AI-powered commerce landscape, where it faces competition from companies like OpenAI and Perplexity.
According to Pichai, Google processed 8.3 trillion tokens on its APIs from retailers in December 2024, a figure that soared to over 90 trillion tokens by December 2025, marking more than 11-fold year-over-year growth.
The Universal Commerce Protocol establishes what Google describes as a "common language" for AI agents and commerce systems to interact seamlessly across platforms.
Rather than requiring unique connections for every individual agent, UCP enables all agents to work together throughout the shopping process.
"It's very important to have a standardized way so we can scale these things and everyone can be prepared for all the various steps to happen," Vidhya Srinivasan, vice president of Google Ads and Commerce, said in an interview with CNBC. "Businesses can pick and choose what they want, so there's flexibility for them."
The protocol was co-developed with major retail partner,s including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, and Target, and has received endorsements from over 20 companies across retail and payments, including Best Buy, The Home Depot, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and PayPal.
UCP is compatible with existing industry protocols such as Agent2Agent, the Agent Payments Protocol that Google launched last year, and the Model Context Protocol.
The first implementation will power a new checkout feature for eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, allowing U.S. shoppers to complete purchases without leaving Google's platform.
Initially, the system will support Google Pay as the payment method, with PayPal integration planned for the near future. Google emphasized that retailers remain the merchant of record and retain full ownership of the customer relationship, with the ability to customize integrations to their specific needs.
The announcement came during a joint keynote featuring Pichai and John Furner, incoming CEO of Walmart, who outlined how the retail giant plans to integrate its products into Google's Gemini AI assistant.
"The transition from traditional web or app search to agent-led commerce represents the next great evolution in retail. We aren't just watching the shift, we are driving it," Furner said in a statement.
Walmart and Sam's Club shoppers will be able to purchase products directly through Gemini, with the AI assistant accessing real-time pricing, assortments, and availability. Loyalty members can link their accounts to enable personalized recommendations based on shopping history and preferences.
Shopify founder and CEO Tobi Lütke highlighted the potential for AI agents to create unexpected product discoveries.
"This is one of the really exciting parts about agentic," Lütke told TechCrunch. "It's really good at finding people who have specific interests and finding the product that is just perfect for them.
Like, I would have never searched for this product, but somehow it found me right on the other side. This kind of serendipity is where the best of commerce happens."
Vanessa Lee, vice president of product at Shopify, added: "Shopify has a history of building checkouts for millions of unique retail businesses.
We have taken everything we've seen over the decades to make UCP a robust commerce standard that can scale."
Alongside the Universal Commerce Protocol, Google introduced several additional features designed to help retailers connect with shoppers during AI-powered browsing sessions.
Business Agent allows shoppers to chat directly with brands on Google Search, functioning as a virtual sales associate that answers questions in the retailer's voice.
Lowe's, Michaels, Poshmark, and Reebok are among the initial partners. "This is to address the newer consumer behavior, which is shifted toward more conversational commerce," Srinivasan explained.
"We want retailers to be able to connect to users on our surfaces but using their own voice."
In the coming months, retailers will be able to train these agents on their own data, access customer insights, and enable direct purchases within the conversational experience.
Google also announced Direct Offers, a new Google Ads pilot that allows retailers to present exclusive discounts—such as 20% off—directly in AI Mode when the system detects a shopper is ready to buy.
Early partners include Petco, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Samsonite, and Rugs USA.
The company is adding dozens of new data attributes to its Merchant Center to help retailers optimize for conversational commerce, going beyond traditional keywords to include answers to common product questions, compatible accessories, and substitute products.
Additionally, Google unveiled Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, a platform designed specifically for retail that enables businesses to create AI-powered shopping and customer service agents.
Companies including Kroger, Lowe's, Papa John's, and Woolworths are already using the platform.
The Home Depot announced it is expanding its Magic Apron AI assistant with new capabilities that provide aisle-level precision for in-store navigation and personalized project guidance, with a nationwide rollout planned for later this year.
Google's drone delivery service Wing also announced expansion plans, with deliveries launching in Houston next week and additional rollouts planned for Orlando, Tampa, and Charlotte.
Through its partnership with Walmart, Wing doubled deliveries in existing markets in 2025 and now operates in 270 locations.
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