New tech and tools for retailers to succeed in an agentic shopping era

Google announced several new tools and an open standard for retailers to operate in an agentic shopping era where artificial intelligence completes tasks on behalf of consumers. The company said it is launching the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard for agentic commerce that works across the entire shopping journey from discovery to post-purchase support. UCP establishes a common language for agents and systems to operate together across consumer surfaces, businesses and payment providers. The protocol was co-developed with industry leaders including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart and endorsed by more than 20 others across the ecosystem like Adyen, American Express, Best Buy, Flipkart, Macy's Inc., Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, Visa and Zalando. Google said UCP will soon power a new checkout feature on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, allowing shoppers to check out from eligible U.S. retailers. The company also launched Business Agent, a new way for shoppers to chat with brands directly on Search, which is live starting tomorrow with retailers like Lowe's, Michael's, Poshmark and Reebok. Additionally, Google announced dozens of new data attributes in Merchant Center designed for discovery in conversational commerce and introduced Direct Offers, a Google Ads pilot allowing advertisers to present exclusive discounts directly in AI Mode.