Google’s new checkout protocol lets you buy products without leaving your s

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Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority


TL;DR

• Google’s new universal checkout protocol aims to complete the purchase for you directly within a Gemini chat or AI search interface.
• Google built the Universal Commerce Protocol with input from major players like Shopify, Walmart, Target, Etsy, and Wayfair, with more than 20 partners already signed on.
• The new “Business Agents” also let brands answer shopper questions in conversational results using their own product knowledge.

Imagine asking your phone for new running shoes, and instead of just getting links, an AI finds and buys them for you, so you don’t have to switch between tabs. That future is now much closer. Google has unveiled a new open-standard framework that aims to make autonomous, AI-led shopping a real part of how we buy things online.

At the center of this change is a protocol called Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). It serves as a common language, enabling AI agents to connect with retailers, payment systems, and shopping platforms without requiring custom connections.




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