Google has announced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard designed to enable AI agents to participate in every stage of the shopping journey, from product discovery and purchase through to post-sale support. Google is also rolling out new AI capabilities for retailers, such as branded shopping agents and ad formats built for AI-powered discovery. About UCP. UCP creates a common language between AI agents and commerce platforms, eliminating the need for one-off integrations for each agent or system. It is compatible with existing standards like Agent2Agent, Agent Payments Protocol, and Model Context Protocol. Google co-created UCP with partners including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, and Target, and more than 20 other companies in retail and payments have already backed the initiative. What’s new. UCP will soon support a revamped checkout flow for eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and within the Gemini app. Shoppers will be able to finalize purchases while they research, using Google Pay with stored payment and shipping information, with PayPal integration coming shortly. According to Google, this is intended to cut down on cart abandonment while still allowing retailers to customize how they integrate. Future enhancements will include loyalty benefits, discovery of related products, and more personalized shopping experiences. Business Agent. In parallel, Google is introducing Business Agent, a branded AI assistant that enables shoppers to chat directly with retailers via Search. It functions like a virtual sales associate, responding in the retailer’s own brand voice at key, high-intent moments. Retailers such as Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark, and Reebok are available at launch, with plans for more advanced customization, data training, and direct purchasing…