(Credit: Google)
Not surprisingly, Google is also looking to make some cash from purchases made via its Gemini chatbot. The company just launched the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a new open standard intended to make it easier for companies to connect their inventory to Google's AI, allowing you to browse and purchase without leaving Gemini or AI Mode.
UCP was built in collaboration with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart and is endorsed by 20 others, including American Express, Best Buy, Flipkart, Macy's, Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, and Visa, Google says.
To start things off, UCP will enable a new checkout feature within Gemini and AI Mode in Search. In an early demo, Google showed that once Gemini returns results for a product query, selecting one from a UCP-supported retailer opens a details page with "Buy" or "Visit website" options. Choosing Buy pulls payment details from Google Pay and shipping info from Google Wallet. Support for payment via PayPal is also in the works.
Similar checkout features have already launched on Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Copilot. When OpenAI first rolled out app suggestions for its retail partners, many ChatGPT users thought they were ads and voiced their displeasure. OpenAI then stopped inserting them into ChatGPT chats.
Last month, Google shot down reports that it would bring ads to Gemini in 2026, with a VP claiming the reports were based on “uninformed, anonymous sources who are making inaccurate claims.” It's been testing them in AI Mode, however.
To that end, Google will be rolling out Direct Offers in AI Mode, which will allow retailers to offer special discounts for a product on its details page. This will be supported by brands like Petco, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Samsonite, Rugs USA, and Shopify, Google says.
Another shopping related option is Business Agent, a "virtual sales associate," aka chatbot, that answers questions about a brand's products in the brand's own voice. It's launching today with retailers like Lowe's, Michael's, Poshmark, Reebok, and others. To get started, look for a "Chat" button when searching for these brands in Google Search.