Thursday, January 15, 2026
Shopify is taking major steps to influence how AI-powered shopping will work by introducing the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard created in partnership with Google. As shoppers increasingly turn to AI chats to explore products and decide what to buy, Shopify wants to make sure merchants can reach customers directly within those digital conversations, wherever they happen.
To make this possible, Shopify plans to activate built-in purchasing within Google’s AI Mode in Search and inside the Gemini app. This means shoppers will be able to complete transactions right inside AI-driven chats instead of being redirected to external websites. In parallel, Shopify is also enhancing its partnership with Microsoft by adding in-chat checkout capabilities to Copilot, allowing users to place orders without switching platforms. All AI-based sales activity will be managed centrally through Shopify Admin using Agentic Storefronts, giving merchants better control and clearer insights.
Shopify is also opening its ecosystem to businesses that are not currently running Shopify stores. Through a newly launched Agentic plan, brands can now upload products to the Shopify Catalog without migrating their full online operations. This approach allows non-Shopify sellers to tap into AI commerce channels, the Shop app, and future partner marketplaces while keeping their existing eCommerce setups intact.
UCP plays a central role in this strategy by offering a consistent method for AI agents to interact with sellers and complete purchases. The protocol supports critical checkout functions, including discounts, loyalty programs, subscription options, and payments through various processors such as Shopify Payments. With over 20 retailers and platforms already backing the initiative, UCP is gaining early momentum across the commerce and AI ecosystem.
“Shopify has a history of building checkouts for millions of unique retail businesses. We have taken everything we’ve seen over the decades to make UCP a robust commerce standard that can scale,” says Vanessa Lee, VP Shopify. “Agentic commerce has so much potential to redefine shopping and we want to make sure it can scale to every product a customer might want to purchase.”
From a technology perspective, UCP is designed to function across different system environments, including REST, MCP, AP2, and A2A frameworks. This ensures AI platforms can connect with a wide range of merchant systems. When purchases require additional customer details—such as scheduling deliveries for large products—the protocol allows agents to request structured inputs before finalizing transactions.
“The shift to agentic commerce will require a shared language across the ecosystem—and the Universal Commerce Protocol provides that framework,” says Ashish Gupta, VP/GM of Merchant Shopping at Google. “Through our collaboration with partners like Shopify we’re ensuring the protocol is interoperable and ready to meet the evolving demands of retailers and their customers. We’re excited to work together and bring this to life soon starting with a new checkout feature in AI Mode in Google Search and the Gemini app.”
Alongside UCP, Google is preparing a Direct Offers pilot that will allow select merchants to showcase special promotions directly within AI conversations. Microsoft is also supporting this shift through Copilot Checkout, which helps brands convert shoppers at the moment they are ready to buy.
Several well-known brands, including Monos, Gymshark, and Everlane, will soon offer shopping through Google’s AI platforms. Meanwhile, companies such as Keen, Pura Vida, and Kyte Baby are already using Copilot Checkout to process orders. By distributing product feeds via Agentic Storefronts, Shopify ensures consistent visibility across platforms like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and upcoming AI-driven shopping environments.
In summary, Shopify is treating agent-led commerce as the next phase of online retail—one where product discovery, customer conversations, and checkout all happen within a single, seamless digital experience.
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