Google is enhancing shopping with advanced AI and the Shopping Graph, which includes over 60 billion product listings, aiming to make shopping more intelligent and enjoyable through agentic technology. At Google I/O 2026, the company introduced the Universal Cart, an intelligent, proactive shopping cart that works seamlessly across various Google services like Search, Gemini chat, YouTube, and Gmail. This cart automatically tracks deals, price drops, stock alerts, and uses Gemini models to improve its intelligence over time. It also anticipates user needs, such as flagging product incompatibilities and suggesting alternatives, while leveraging Google Wallet to optimize payment perks and loyalty offers.
The Universal Cart simplifies checkout using the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), allowing quick purchases via Google Pay or transferring items to merchant sites. Early access to these features is available with brands like Nike, Sephora, Target, and others, with rollout starting in the U.S. and expanding to YouTube and Gmail soon.
The UCP, co-developed with retail leaders, has gained strong industry support and is expanding to Canada, Australia, and the U.K., as well as new verticals like hotel booking and food delivery. To ensure secure agentic purchases, Google created the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), which sets strict rules for agent transactions, maintains transparency, and protects user data with privacy-preserving technology and tamper-proof digital mandates. AP2 will be integrated into Google products starting with Gemini Spark.
These developments mark significant progress toward agentic commerce, with Universal Cart serving as a key foundation to improve the shopping experience by making it smarter, more efficient, and secure.
