Google is going all-out on "agentic shopping" with new AI ecommerce tools
It seems that every AI agent is bidding for your shopping custom
· TechRadarNews By Craig Hale published 12 January 2026
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- Google says eligible US shoppers can now browse, purchase products with AI
- Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) is a Google initiative, backed by major retailers
- Businesses can target customers with ads designed for AI shoppers
Google has announced plans to take the stress out of online shopping with a new agentic AI ecommerce suite that'll take care of product research, purchasing, and even post-purchase support.
Company VP and GM of Ads & Commerce Vidhya Srinivasan explained in a blog post that the new tools build on 2025's Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), designed to offer secure payments within the confines of agentic AI.
The system relies on the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), co-developed by Google and a number of major retail partners like Shopify, Etsy, and Wayfair, so that agents and systems can interact in one "common language."
Universal Commerce Protocol is the foundation for agentic AI shopping
Designed to work across multiple industries and platforms, it's also backed by payment companies like Adyen, Amex, Mastercard, Visa, and Stripe - however, from launch we're told it will only be available to eligible US retailers.
The front-end experience revolves around the Gemini app or AI Mode within Google Search. Being that the AI retains information, Google's new shopping assistant will pre-fill the checkout page, and then store the shipping information within Google Wallet.
Along with a later global expansion, the company is also working on a fuller shopping experience such as loyalty reward integration.
At the same time, Google is launching a separate Business Agent that companies can use as their own virtual sales assistants to answer questions about their products. With this tool activated and customized from within the Merchant Center, companies can train the agent on their data, access customer insights and promote related products.
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