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3w ago

Google Launches Open UCP With Walmart To Enable Native AI Checkout in Gemini

Walmart says Gemini will hand off to its own shopping agent for linked‑account checkout.

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Earlier this week, Google rolled out new commerce features for Google Search's AI Mode and its Gemini chatbot. Brands increasingly want to monitor and control how they show up to AI agents and in AI-mediated queries. But experts warn that not all queries are the same and that AI models present risks when it comes to queries related to a company's finances or governance standards, which could influence major procurement decisions.
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Overview

  • Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, an Apache‑2 open standard co‑developed with partners like Shopify, Target, Etsy and Walmart, will power native checkout in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app for eligible U.S. retailers.
  • Walmart’s integration lets Gemini users discover Walmart and Sam’s Club items, assemble baskets, and complete purchases in chat using Google Pay, with rollout starting in the United States.
  • Walmart’s AI chief Daniel Danker says Gemini’s agent collaborates with Walmart’s agent to link a user’s profile and cart, enabling tailored suggestions and unified fulfillment options such as same‑day delivery.
  • Google rejects claims that the protocol enables surveillance pricing, saying prices on Google cannot exceed a merchant’s own site and highlighting a Direct Offers pilot meant to surface lower prices, with PayPal support planned.
  • Developers and retailers are preparing UCP implementations that expose capabilities via a /.well-known/ucp manifest and low‑latency endpoints, while independent testing from AIVO Standard warns AI answers can be unreliable on governance and financial questions.