Google has unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) at the NRF conference, aiming to enhance AI agent-based shopping. This open standard facilitates a seamless online shopping experience, enabling AI agents to assist users from product discovery to checkout and post-purchase support. Collaborating with major retailers like Shopify, Target, and Walmart, UCP reduces integration complexity by using a unified standard across shopping platforms.
The protocol allows AI agents to interact with retailers effectively, offering real-time discounts as users search for products. Google plans to implement UCP in AI mode on Google Search and Gemini apps, enabling straightforward payment using Google Pay and future support for PayPal.
The initiative responds to a surge in AI-driven shopping, evidenced by a 693.4% increase in traffic to retail sites from generative AI during the holiday season. Ultimately, UCP seeks to improve reliability in AI shopping experiences, benefiting both consumers and brands.
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