"At the National Retail Federation's Big Show industry conference earlier this month, Google unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP, an open standard designed to let AI agents complete checkout across platforms. The protocol was co-developed with companies like Shopify, Walmart and Target, and supported by more than two dozen other retail partners. Shopify merchants will be able to sell their wares within AI Mode in Google and the Gemini app as a result."
"Shopify has also introduced an "Agentic plan" that will let non-Shopify merchants sell through AI channels - including ChatGPT, GoogleAI Mode and Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity - as well as the Shop app and future partners. The plan lets merchants add their product data to the "Shopify Catalog," a database of all the products sold by stores on Shopify, to appear in AI chat platforms. Prospective merchants can join a waitlist to participate in the program."
"The announcements come as the retail industry grapples with how agentic shopping should work in practice. Earlier this month, Amazon's "Buy for Me" tool, which allows customers to purchase products from third-party websites without leaving Amazon's app, has drawn criticism from brands that say their products appeared on Amazon without permission, raising questions about consent, data scraping and how much control merchants should have over where and how their products are sold."
Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard that enables AI agents to complete checkout across platforms and was co-developed with retailers including Shopify, Walmart and Target. Shopify merchants will be able to sell through Google AI Mode and the Gemini app. Shopify launched an Agentic plan to let non-Shopify merchants add product data to a Shopify Catalog so listings appear in AI chat platforms and partner apps. The retail sector is confronting questions about consent, data scraping and merchant control after Amazon's "Buy for Me" tool drew criticism. Shopify emphasizes brand control and early infrastructure investment for agentic commerce.
Read at Modern Retail
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