The agentic shopping era is quickly moving from vision to reality, and retailers are preparing for a future where AI agents shop, compare, and even complete purchases on behalf of consumers.
With rapid innovation reshaping how people discover and buy products, new technologies are emerging to help retailers stay competitive, visible, and connected in this AI-driven commerce landscape.
At the center of this shift is agentic commerce, where AI does more than recommend products. These intelligent agents can research options, apply preferences, manage payments, and handle post-purchase tasks. To support this evolution, new tools and open standards are being introduced to ensure retailers of all sizes can participate without being locked into closed ecosystems.
A major step forward is the launch of the Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP. This new open standard is designed to work across the entire shopping journey, from discovery and checkout to customer support after a purchase. UCP provides a common language that allows AI agents, retailers, platforms, and payment providers to interact seamlessly, reducing complexity and integration costs.
In the agentic shopping era, fragmentation is a major risk. Without shared standards, retailers would need separate connections for each AI agent or platform. UCP solves this by enabling interoperability across systems. It is also compatible with existing protocols such as Agent2Agent, Agent Payments Protocol, and Model Context Protocol, ensuring continuity rather than disruption.
UCP has been co-developed with major retail and commerce leaders including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart. It has also received endorsement from more than 20 companies across payments, marketplaces, and global retail. This broad support signals strong industry alignment around open, collaborative agentic commerce rather than proprietary silos.
One of the first real-world applications of UCP will appear in Google’s AI-powered shopping experiences. Soon, eligible U.S. retailers will be able to offer a new checkout option directly within AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app. Shoppers can complete purchases while researching products, reducing friction and minimizing abandoned carts.
Security and trust remain central to this experience. Purchases can be completed using Google Pay with payment methods and shipping details already stored in Google Wallet. PayPal support is also planned. Importantly, retailers remain the seller of record and can customize how the integration works, maintaining control over branding, fulfillment, and customer relationships.
Beyond checkout, retailers will gain new opportunities to connect with customers through branded AI agents. The newly introduced Business Agent allows shoppers to chat directly with brands on Search. Acting like a virtual sales associate, it can answer questions, explain product details, and guide decisions using the brand’s own voice and tone.
Business Agent is launching with well-known retailers such as Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark, and Reebok. Eligible retailers can activate and manage these agents through Merchant Center. Over time, they will be able to train agents using their own data, unlock customer insights, surface related offers, and even enable agent-led purchases within the chat experience.
Discovery is also evolving in the agentic shopping era. Traditional keyword-based product listings are no longer enough when consumers interact through conversations. To address this, dozens of new data attributes are being added to Merchant Center. These attributes help AI systems better understand products by including answers to common questions, compatible accessories, and alternative options.
These enhancements are designed to help retailers appear more accurately in conversational interfaces such as AI Mode, Gemini, and Business Agent. By providing richer context, retailers improve their chances of being recommended by AI agents at the exact moment shoppers are making decisions.
Advertising is also adapting to this new model. A new pilot called Direct Offers is being introduced within AI Mode. This allows retailers to surface exclusive discounts directly to shoppers who are close to making a purchase. Rather than generic ads, these offers appear when AI determines they are highly relevant.
For example, when a shopper searches for a specific product with detailed requirements, AI already narrows down suitable options. With Direct Offers, retailers can add incentives like limited-time discounts to help close the sale. Initially focused on price reductions, the program is expected to expand to bundles, free shipping, and value-based offers.
Several brands, including Petco, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Samsonite, Rugs USA, and Shopify merchants, are already collaborating on Direct Offers. The goal is to create a faster, smarter connection between retailers and shoppers who rely on AI to guide their buying decisions.
Together, these innovations highlight how the agentic shopping era is reshaping retail from end to end. Open standards, branded AI agents, smarter discovery tools, and AI-powered offers are giving retailers new ways to grow while meeting customers where they are. As AI continues to redefine commerce, collaboration and adaptability will be key to long-term success.
Want to stay ahead of the AI-powered commerce revolution? Visit ainewstoday.org for more insights, updates, and breaking stories from the world of artificial intelligence.
