Google's new commerce framework cranks up the heat on 'agentic shopping'

"On the merchant side, the UCP also established the Business Agent feature, which Google said will be "a virtual sales associate that can answer product questions in a brand's voice." The Business Agent will launch tomorrow with early adopters including Lowe's, Michaels, Poshmark, Reebok and more. Also for retailers, the UCP is responsible for the new Direct Offers feature, which lets companies advertising with Google to "present exclusive offers for shoppers who are ready to buy, directly in AI Mode." The Direct Offers feature will work in tandem with the ads in AI Mode that Google is testing."

"With UCP, Google Search, retailers and payment processors are joining forces to make online shopping even easier, whether it's figuring out what product to buy, completing the purchase or offering "post-purchase support." According to Google, UCP is compatible with existing industry protocols, like Agent2Agent, Agent Payment Protocols and Model Context Protocol. UCP was even co-developed with industry giants like Shopify, Etsy and Walmart, and was endorsed by even more companies in the commerce ecosystem, including Macy"

Google launched the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard that combines AI agents and online shopping platforms to streamline purchases. UCP introduces three features: in-AI checkout, Business Agent, and Direct Offers. In-AI checkout enables purchases of eligible products from certain US retailers within Google Search and currently supports Google Pay with planned PayPal compatibility, related product discovery, and loyalty point use. Business Agent functions as a virtual sales associate answering product questions in a brand's voice and launches with early adopters like Lowe's, Michaels, Poshmark and Reebok. Direct Offers lets advertisers present exclusive offers directly in AI Mode. UCP is compatible with existing protocols and co-developed with Shopify, Etsy and Walmart, with endorsements from additional commerce companies including Macy.

Read at Engadget