UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol)
In short
UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol) is the route Google uses to check out with integrated merchants. Whether to accept agent payments goes into the detail. ACP (Agentic Commerce Protocol) and Agentic checkout sit beside it in the glossary. Google said merchants can now transfer a shopper's cart to their own site through the UCP hub (16 Sep 2026).
Definition
Google's open standard, built with retailers and Shopify, that lets AI surfaces such as AI Mode and Gemini check out with a merchant.
A dated example
- Read 4 Nov 2026
Google said merchants can now transfer a shopper's cart to their own site through the UCP hub (16 Sep 2026).
Where it matters
It is the route Google uses to check out with integrated merchants.
Related terms
- ACP (Agentic Commerce Protocol)An open standard from OpenAI and Stripe for agents to check out with merchants; the basis of ChatGPT's commerce features.
- Agentic checkoutA purchase completed inside an AI assistant or by an agent, with the merchant still selling the item.
Sources
- Google: holiday shopping updates (16 Sep 2026) (blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/shopping/google-shopping-updates-holiday-shopping), read 4 Nov 2026.
Last reviewed