Google launches Universal Cart, an AI agent that shops across multiple retailers in one checkout

Google announced Universal Cart at its I/O developer conference, an AI-powered shopping assistant that consolidates purchases from multiple retailers into a single checkout experience. The system runs on Google's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard co-developed with Target, Shopify, Wayfair, and Etsy.

How Universal Cart works

The feature integrates with Google's ecosystem across YouTube, Gmail, Gemini, and Search. Gemini's agentic AI operates in the background to analyze shopping behavior, verify product compatibility, and suggest optimizations.

In a live demonstration, Google VP of Ads and Commerce Vidhya Srinivasan showed the AI identifying incompatible components when a shopper added a CPU and motherboard to their cart. In another example, the system prompted users to switch credit cards to access available discounts.

The Universal Commerce Protocol allows retailers to process payments through Google Pay while maintaining access to their proprietary systems, including loyalty programs and store credit cards.

Automation and purchase prediction

Google positions Universal Cart as part of a broader strategy to automate "digital laundry" — routine online tasks. The system tracks user behavior across Google's platforms to predict future purchases and can automatically add recurring items to carts.

According to Google, the AI searches for better deals, evaluates whether sale prices represent genuine value, and highlights retailer-specific promotions without manual user input.

Google demonstrated related functionality in January with Chrome's Auto Browse feature, where users can show Gemini a photo of products and instruct it to locate and purchase items across multiple retailers. With UCP, these purchases would consolidate into Universal Cart rather than requiring separate checkouts.

Retailer integration

The Universal Commerce Protocol represents Google's attempt to standardize commerce interactions for agentic AI. Major retail partnerships include:

• Target
• Shopify
• Wayfair
• Etsy

Retailers maintain control over customer data and can integrate existing payment methods and rewards programs within the Google Pay framework.

What this means

Google is building infrastructure for AI agents to execute purchases on behalf of users, reducing friction between browsing and buying. The Universal Commerce Protocol could become a significant leverage point if it achieves broad adoption — retailers gain access to Google's AI capabilities and user base, while Google positions itself as the intermediary layer for AI-driven commerce. The system's success depends on whether consumers trust automated purchasing agents with spending authority and how retailers balance conversion optimization against maintaining direct customer relationships. Universal Cart represents Google's clearest move yet to monetize Gemini through transaction facilitation rather than subscription fees.