Google Search Gets AI-Powered Direct Shopping Checkout

Google says the new standard will power a forthcoming "checkout feature" on Search and Gemini, which would allow users to make purchases directly using the AI tools without having to switch between apps or webpages. The feature will bring Gemini and Google's AI Mode in Search in line with competitors like Microsoft's Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT, which launched purchasing options last year. Google hopes UCP will be widely used by retailers and others in the e-commerce ecosystem, an area that is quickly becoming a battleground for companies to prove the tangible value of generative AI.

UCP is open-source, meaning companies can freely use it rather than having to develop their own tools to deal with AI agents. It is compatible with existing industry standards like the Model Context Protocol, Srinivasan says. It will compete with a similar standard for agentic shopping OpenAI launched last, the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which is also open-source.

UCP has already secured buy-in from more than 20 other companies in the online shopping ecosystem, the Google executive says. This includes payment giants like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, and Stripe, as well as retailers like The Home Depot, Macy's, Best Buy, Kroger, Lowe's, Gap, and Zalando. Ant Group, an affiliate of Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba, has also endorsed the standard.

Many of these partners are likely to -- or already have -- partner with other AI companies as well. Shopify merchants, for example, can sell in AI modes on Gemini, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, and PayPal has also partnered with OpenAI. As well as the buy button on Gemini and the UCP standard, Google also said it is launching a business agent on Monday that will allow shoppers to chat with brands directly on Search.