Google is building the infrastructure layer for AI-driven shopping, and major retailers including Walmart, Target, and Shopify are backing it. That's because Google's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) isn't just another integration point. It's not another API to connect.
Google's announcement of UCP is the beginning of new infrastructure. Agentic commerce is a fundamental shift in e-commerce and Google is building the rails for AI-native commerce, positioning itself as the protocol layer between consumers, retailers, and payment systems. Meanwhile Amazon is conspicuously building walls and other AI giants are making their own attempts at agentic commerce features.
This is the end of search-based shopping as we know it. The infrastructure wars for agentic commerce are just beginning. Nobody owns the internet protocol, but the companies that defined those standards shaped how the entire internet works. Google is making the same play here. When ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any AI agent needs to execute a purchase, they don't build custom integrations with every retailer.
They just speak UCP. The protocol defines how AI agents talk to payment providers, inventory systems, and fulfillment networks using a standard language. Other related sources and context: See here
No comments:
Post a Comment