Google has made a major move towards making Search an end-to-end shopping platform with the debut of its new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). The protocol is intended to enable users to find, purchase and handle purchases without leaving Google Search or the Gemini app by sending them off to third-party websites.
The new UCP will soon be used to power a new checkout experience in AI Mode on Search and Gemini, which debuts first in the US, the company says.
What Is the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and How Does It Work?
UCP is an open, integrated platform that brings together digital agents, merchants and payment providers in one commerce ecosystem. It covers the whole shopping cycle – from:
- Product discovery
- Checkout and payments
- Order tracking
- Post-purchase support
Google says the protocol has been designed to support a range of industries and existing standards, including:
- Agent2Agent (A2A)
- Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)
- Model Context Protocol (MCP)
The aim is to make AI shopping as smooth, safe, and consistent an experience as across the platforms.
Partners Behind UCP
UCP is the result of long-term collaboration between Google, leading retailers and platform partners such as:
- Shopify
- Etsy
- Wayfair
- Target
- Walmart
The protocol has received support from more than 20 companies, including Visa, Mastercard, and banks like Flipkart and Best Buy. This broad support implies that Google is aiming to make UCP a global de facto standard for AI-based commerce.
How Checkout Will Work on Google Search
The UCP will introduce a new checkout feature to the following:
- Google Search AI Mode
- Gemini app
- US users will have the ability to:
- Purchase things straight from Google listings
- Pay using Google Pay
- Enable payments and shipping saved to your Google Wallet account
- PayPal support will likely come in the near future.
This eliminates the headache of bouncing between separate sites, making shopping from inside Google faster and more efficient.
Future Features and Global Expansion
Google says it will roll out UCP globally and introduce “advanced commerce features that are specific to a hosted website”, including:
- Loyalty rewards integration
- Related product recommendations
- Personalised shopping experiences
- Broader retailer support
The company says it will have more markets and partners joining over time.
Personal Assistant: Google’s Virtual Salesman
Additionally, Google is debuting a new Business Agent feature together with UCP. It will serve as a virtual salesperson for shoppers, and it is launching at:
- Lowe’s
- Michaels
- Poshmark
- Reebok
Business Agent will assist users in navigating products, comparing options and making purchases via conversational AI.
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Advertisements running on AI Mode (With Direct Offers).
Google also announced that it's still experimenting with ads in AI Mode, which the company will be testing through a feature called Direct Offers. This enables brands to display exclusive offers directly within AI Mode push to consumers already seeking to purchase.
Early partners include:
- Petco
- e.l. f. Cosmetics
- Samsonite
- Rugs USA
- Shopify merchants
These deals are intended to seamlessly integrate into AI-powered shopping talks, rather than stick out like traditional ads.
What This Means for Google Search
With UCP, Google takes Search a step further from being just a discovery engine to becoming more of a full-blown shopping platform. By stitching AI, payments, retailers and ads into a single system, Google is moving to compete more directly with marketplaces like Amazon — while trying to keep users inside its own ecosystem.
The rollout is starting in the United States, but if successful, U.C.P. could change how people shop online around the world.