**Google’s Game-Changing Move: Introducing the Common Commerce Protocol to Revolutionize AI-Powered Buying**
At the National Retail Federation convention, Google shook things up by unveiling the Common Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard designed to make AI agent-based buying a breeze. The protocol is the brainchild of a collaboration between Google and companies like Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Goal, and Walmart.
So, what does the UCP do? In a nutshell, it enables brokers to facilitate various aspects of the buying process, from discovery to post-purchase support, without requiring connections with multiple brokers. This revolutionary standard is part of Google’s broader vision to create an agentic ecosystem where multiple protocols can be used to facilitate commerce.
But that’s not all! Google is also working on other agentic protocols like Agent Funds Protocol (AP2), Agent2Agent (A2A), and Model Context Protocol (MCP). This means that brokers and merchants can pick and choose the specific extensions of the protocol that best fit their needs.
In the coming weeks, Google will start using the UCP for eligible Google product listings in AI mode in search and the Gemini apps. This means that customers will be able to browse and purchase products directly from U.S.-based retailers using Google Pay and access shipping information saved in their Google Wallet. And, soon, PayPal will also be a payment option!
Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke praised the UCP, saying that it enables “serendipity” in commerce, where customers can discover products they may not have otherwise found. And, to take things to the next level, Shopify just announced a new integration with Microsoft Copilot, allowing customers to purchase products directly within a conversational flow.
But that’s not all! Google also announced that it will now enable brands to offer special discounts to customers while they’re searching for product suggestions in AI mode. For example, if a customer is searching for a rug and mentions that they host many dinner parties, a brand can set up a campaign to offer a discount at that moment.
And, to make life easier for sellers, Google is giving them new knowledge attributes in the Merchant Center to help them optimize their products for AI search surfaces. Companies like PayPal and OpenAI are also working to make sellers more discoverable in AI chatbot results. And, startups like the prompting firm are partnering with retailers to surface products within AI solutions.
The company is also allowing retailers to integrate branded AI-powered Business Agents within Google Search to answer customer questions. Several retailers, including Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark, and Reebok, are already using this product. And, competitors like Meta and Shopify are exploring AI-powered tools for businesses and customer support.
To top it all off, Google introduced Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (CX), a suite designed to address buying and customer support for retailers and restaurants.
The announcement comes as companies like Google, Amazon, Walmart, and OpenAI continue to release new standards and products to infuse AI into every aspect of commerce, both for consumers and merchants. Earlier this month, Adobe noted that traffic pushed to merchant sites by generative AI grew by 693.4% during the holiday season, although the report didn’t specify how much of this traffic translated into sales.
The story has been updated to reflect that retailers can use AI brokers within Google Search.
So, what do you think about Google’s latest move? Will it revolutionize the way we shop online? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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