Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) — an open standard for how AI agents and commerce systems work together across a purchase, from discovery through checkout to post-sale support.
Who is behind it
Google announced UCP on 11 January 2026, co-developed with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart and endorsed by more than twenty others, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Stripe and Adyen. Google describes it as compatible with other agent standards, including the Model Context Protocol and its own Agent Payments Protocol.
Where it runs today
UCP powers a checkout option on eligible product listings in AI Mode in Google Search and in the Gemini app. Google’s Merchant Center documentation describes it as a limited rollout in the United States, Canada and Australia, with an application and technical requirements. Shopify merchants reach it through Shopify’s Agentic Storefronts, and Microsoft’s Copilot Checkout is UCP-powered for eligible Shopify merchants as well.
Two open protocols with overlapping jobs is normal at this stage of a market. Most merchants will not choose between them; their platform will. The work that carries across both is clean product data and clearly stated policies.
Sources: Google, 11 Jan 2026 · Google Merchant Center Help, About UCP · Shopify, June 2026. Last checked 25 September 2026.
Related: agentic commerce, Agentic Commerce Protocol, product feed, Model Context Protocol.