Don’t bother with the retailer’s website, says Google: Gemini can shop for you
Summary
Google has unveiled a Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to let agentic AI — notably Gemini and Search’s AI Mode — complete purchases on behalf of users without sending them to retailers’ own sites. UCP is designed as a common language so agents can handle transactions across consumer surfaces, businesses and payment providers without bespoke connectors.
The protocol was developed with input from major retailers (Shopify, Target, Walmart, Wayfair) and payment networks (Mastercard, American Express, Visa), with PayPal support promised soon. Google also announced an AI Business Agent that lets shoppers chat with brands directly in Search and a checkout feature in AI Mode and the Gemini app for eligible US retailers. The company is testing embedded personalised discounts called “Direct Offers” to help convert shoppers.
Key Points
- Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to standardise agentic-AI commerce and reduce the need for bespoke connectors.
- Gemini and AI Mode in Search will be able to handle checkout flows for participating retailers directly within Google’s surfaces.
- Major retailers and payment networks collaborated on UCP; early participants include Shopify, Target, Walmart, Wayfair, Mastercard, Amex and Visa.
- Google launched an AI Business Agent to allow shoppers to chat with brands in Search; more advanced, retailer-trained features are due in coming months.
- Google plans to deliver personalised, retailer-provided discounts via “Direct Offers” inside its shopping experience.
- Retailers face trade-offs: reduced website overhead versus loss of direct traffic, control and potential dependency on Google’s terms.
- Strategically, the move positions Google to compete with AI shopping efforts from the likes of OpenAI and Perplexity and further deepen its role in ecommerce.
- Unanswered questions include commercial terms, fees, data access, and how regulators and the wider retail ecosystem will react.
Author’s take
Punchy: This is big. Google isn’t content being the road to retailers — it wants to be the shop. If UCP rolls out widely, the balance of power in online retail could shift further towards Google overnight.
Why should I read this?
Want to know how your next online purchase might happen without ever visiting a store’s website? This explains Google’s plan in plain terms — what it enables, who’s already on board, and why retailers and regulators should be paying attention. We’ve done the skimming so you don’t have to.
Context and Relevance
This development matters for ecommerce, digital advertising, publishers and competition policy. By enabling end-to-end purchases inside Gemini and Search, Google could reduce direct traffic to retailer sites and absorb more transaction data and customer interactions. That raises questions around merchant fees, data access, consumer privacy, and antitrust scrutiny — especially given Google’s scale and existing dominance in search and advertising. For businesses, the trade-off is between simpler checkout/marketing integration and potential loss of ownership over customer relationships.