"Shopify announced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) yesterday, an open standard co-developed with Google that lets AI agents connect directly to merchants and complete transactions. Alongside the protocol, Shopify is rolling out native commerce experiences across major AI platforms, including Google's AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT - all managed centrally through Shopify's admin. The big idea is simple: if consumers are shopping inside AI conversations, merchants need a way to sell there without rebuilding their stack for every new assistant or platform."
"The goal is flexibility. Whether a purchase happens entirely inside a chat, through an embedded checkout in an app or via a web-based flow, UCP is meant to support it without locking merchants into a single ecosystem or transport method. One of the most immediate outcomes of UCP is native checkout inside Google's AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app. Shopify merchants will be able to sell directly within those experiences and manage offers, inventory and performance from the Shopify admin."
UCP is an open protocol co-developed with Google that allows AI agents to connect directly to merchants and complete transactions. The protocol standardizes interactions with checkout flows, pricing rules, loyalty programs and fulfillment requirements to avoid one-off integrations. UCP supports core checkout actions such as applying discount codes, selecting subscription terms, confirming final-sale conditions and handling pre-orders. The protocol works with any payment processor, including Shopify Payments, and already has backing from more than 20 retailers and platforms. Native checkout experiences will appear in Google’s AI Mode, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT, all manageable via Shopify admin.
Read at MarTech
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]