Universal Commerce Protocol

Google rolls out Universal Cart shopping tool to US users

Google has launched Universal Cart, a feature first shown at Google I/O in May, for US users. It lets shoppers save products found through Search or the Gemini app into one cart across multiple retailers, with alerts for price drops and restocks, and payment suggestions based on card perks and promo codes. Checkout runs through Google's Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard it introduced earlier this year for linking AI agents with retailers.

techcrunch.com · 2026-10-15

Ex-Apple retail chief Ron Johnson doubts AI agents will replace in-store shopping

Ron Johnson, who built Apple's retail store network starting in 2000, says he doesn't believe AI shopping agents will fundamentally change how people buy products. He argues that for significant purchases like laptops, consumers still want to physically handle items rather than let an AI complete the transaction, even as companies like Google and OpenAI push tools that let agents research, compare, and buy on a shopper's behalf.

techcrunch.com · 2026-09-21