Shopify Japan announced on February 25, 2026 that orders placed through AI search increased 15-fold globally year over year. AI services are becoming more involved in ecommerce operations, and consumer buying behavior is changing as well.
Source: Shopify Japan “Orders via AI search increased 15-fold globally year over year”
As purchasing experiences that begin with AI continue to expand, UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol) is attracting attention. In this article, we explain what UCP is, why it appeared, and what people responsible for operating Shopify stores should check.
What is UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol)?
UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol) is a standard that enables AI agents, ecommerce businesses, payment providers, platforms, and others to handle everything from product discovery to post-purchase support in a common format.
On January 13, 2026, Shopify Japan announced “UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol)” as an important update related to agentic commerce.
Source: Shopify: An agentic commerce platform that connects every merchant to conversations with any AI
In conventional ecommerce, the typical flow was for users to search for products on a search engine or ecommerce site, check the product page, add the item to their cart, and make a purchase. By contrast, in a purchasing experience that uses an AI agent, users may tell the AI their conditions, the AI may search and compare products based on product information, and the chat interface may connect the user to a path to purchase.
For example, if a user asks an AI, “I want to find a lightweight suitcase I can use for a trip next week,” the AI compares not only product names, but also product information such as size, weight, and price, as well as purchase-related conditions such as estimated delivery dates and return conditions. However, if each ecommerce site uses different information formats or purchase process specifications, AI agents may not be able to understand the information accurately, making it difficult to support purchases.
This is where UCP becomes necessary. By defining common rules for different brands, cart systems, and AI agents, UCP enables smoother interactions from product discovery to purchase within AI agents.
Why UCP appeared
UCP emerged against the backdrop of expanding purchasing behavior that starts with AI chat and AI search, along with the diversity and complexity of ecommerce that is difficult to handle through individual integrations alone.
Purchasing behavior through AI search and AI chat is expanding
In recent years, multiple AI agents have been released and are now used not only for work, but also for everyday information gathering. In ecommerce as well, AI is beginning to influence purchasing behavior rather than remaining only a way to research products.
According to Salesforce’s research on 2025 holiday shopping, global online sales reached a record $1.29 trillion, and AI and AI agents contributed to $262 billion in revenue, equivalent to 20% of total sales. Salesforce also announced that the traffic share from AI search channels such as ChatGPT and Perplexity doubled year over year, and consumers who visited retail sites through AI search were 9 times more likely to make a purchase than consumers who visited through social media.
In this way, AI agents are becoming more prominent as a new sales channel. For ecommerce operators, it has become important to help AI understand product information and purchase conditions correctly, making products easier to consider as candidates.
Individual integrations make it difficult to keep up with ecommerce in the AI era
For AI agents to handle product information and purchase conditions correctly, merchants need to organize not only product names and descriptions, but also purchase-decision information such as prices, inventory, and payment methods.
However, when AI services, ecommerce platforms, and brand sites each try to integrate in different formats, the number of combinations to consider becomes very large. Ecommerce businesses must adjust product information formats and integration methods for each service, making it difficult to know which standard to follow when organizing information.
The same issue also occurs on the AI agent side. When integrating with multiple ecommerce sites and cart systems, AI agents must understand each site’s product information fields, available payment options at checkout, order confirmation specifications, and more. Trying to handle these complex conditions separately for each service places a heavy burden on both ecommerce businesses and AI agents.
UCP is a common set of rules created to reduce the complexity of these individual integrations. It is positioned as an open standard that enables various merchants, AI agents, and payment services to communicate using common rules.
How Shopify and Google may use UCP
Shopify developed UCP together with Google. Etsy, Target, Walmart, Wayfair, and millions of Shopify merchants support this standard. Major AI channels such as ChatGPT (OpenAI), Microsoft Copilot, Google, and Meta are also moving toward shopping experiences through UCP.
Rather than being a feature confined to a specific ecommerce platform, UCP is designed as a standard that supports agentic commerce as a whole.
Purchase paths expanding across major AI channels
Google envisions an experience where buy buttons appear in AI Mode in Google Search and eligible listings in Gemini, allowing users to proceed to purchase without leaving the chat.
Payment methods differ by channel. AI Mode in Google Search and Gemini use payment methods and shipping information saved to a Google account, while Microsoft Copilot can complete payment through checkout provided by Shopify.
Shopify handles everything from product discovery to order confirmation with UCP
The idea of using UCP in Shopify is to enable AI agents to find products on Shopify, create carts, proceed to checkout, and check order status. Even when a purchase is made through an AI agent, the seller continues to own the customer relationship and handle post-purchase support.
Shopify’s developer documentation also introduces the Universal Cart API, which can combine products from merchants inside and outside Shopify into a single cart. For example, users could select products needed for a trip from multiple brands and proceed to the purchase path together.
Because payment can be completed without browsing through an ecommerce site, merchants may need to consider how to promote products at the item level and how to help customers recognize the brand itself after purchase.
How UCP changes the ecommerce purchase experience
UCP does more than make it possible to display product purchase buttons in AI chats. Users will be able to consult with AI while comparing products, choose products that match their conditions, and proceed to the purchase process when needed.
AI agents can understand product information more easily
For AI agents to recommend products appropriately, product information needs to be organized. If product names, materials, payment conditions, and other details remain vague, it becomes difficult for AI to determine which products match the user’s needs.
Looking ahead to an era when products are discovered through AI agents, organize the information needed for purchase decisions, such as product descriptions and shipping information.
It becomes easier to proceed to checkout through AI
By using UCP, AI agents can more easily handle not only product search, but also information related to carts and checkout.
Shopify’s developer documentation explains that UCP is involved in each stage of the purchasing experience, including product discovery, cart, checkout, and order confirmation. However, not every purchase process can be completed by AI alone. There may also be situations where confirmation by the buyer or procedures based on store-side conditions are required.
Handoff to a human is possible when needed
UCP assumes handoff not only to AI agents, but also to humans. For example, when purchasing high-value products or handling age-restricted products, there may be cases where the buyer needs to confirm the purchase themselves. Instead of completing every purchase process within AI, the buyer can be handed off to a screen or URL where they can confirm the details.
What ecommerce operators should check for UCP
UCP is a new initiative and may not be available to every ecommerce operator immediately. To prepare for the future, it is a good idea to review product data, Google Merchant Center, and shipping and return conditions.
Make product and shipping information easy for AI to understand
The first thing to check is how product and purchase conditions are organized. For example, instead of simply writing “high-quality bag,” providing information useful for purchase decisions—such as “waterproof material,” “fits a 13-inch laptop,” “weighs about 500 grams,” and “suitable for commuting”—makes it easier for AI agents to handle the product according to the user’s needs.
When improving product data, consider checking product data in Agentic Storefront, Shopify Catalog, and Google Merchant Center.
Agentic Storefront is introduced in the article below.
Check product data in Google Merchant Center
If you are looking ahead to purchasing experiences through Google, product data in Google Merchant Center is also important.
Google Merchant Center is where you manage product data used for product listings and ads on Google.
Check whether product feeds, prices, inventory, images, brand information, shipping information, return policies, and other details are up to date. Situations such as prices differing between the store and the feed, out-of-stock products being listed, or vague return conditions may interfere with the purchase experience.
Current considerations for UCP
UCP is an important standard related to ecommerce in the age of AI agents. However, at this point, merchants need to carefully check availability and usage conditions.
Keep in mind that not every Shopify store can immediately complete the purchase process within an AI agent.
Check Shopify’s availability scope
On May 19, 2026, the Shopify Developers account on X announced global support for UCP.
Source: Shopify official X account
“Build commerce agents with UCP” has been published in the developer documentation.
However, at this point, features are being released in phases, such as the Universal Cart API being in early access. Continue following official Shopify information and decide whether your store needs to take action.
Purchase paths and countries available with Google UCP
The following are available as of June 2026, or scheduled to be supported in the future.
- AI Mode in Google Search
- A path where users can find products and proceed to the purchase process in AI Mode in Google Search
- Gemini web application
- A path that provides a purchasing experience using UCP on the web version of Gemini
- Gemini app
- Scheduled for future support
Google Merchant Center Help states that checkout functionality through UCP is being rolled out in phases in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and is currently in early access for participating merchants. (As of June 2026)
The available paths, target countries, and eligible sellers may change in the future. If you are considering adoption, check the latest information in the Google UCP FAQ and Google Merchant Center.
Summary
UCP is a standard that enables AI agents, ecommerce businesses, payment providers, and platforms to handle everything from product discovery to post-purchase support through a common mechanism. While AI search and AI chat are expanding as new sales channels, if product information and purchase conditions are not organized, AI agents may not understand product details correctly, making the product less likely to be included among the user’s options.
Start by building a foundation of brand information that AI agents can understand easily, such as organizing product information, keeping product data in Google Merchant Center up to date, and clarifying shipping and return conditions.
