Shopify, Walmart Endorse Google's New Open Commerce Protocol (thenewstack.io)

Google has announced the launch of its Open Commerce Protocol (UCP), endorsed by major retailers like Shopify and Walmart, aimed at streamlining AI-driven product discovery and purchasing. UCP is designed to eliminate the fragmented integrations that complicate online shopping by establishing a common language for AI agents, retail platforms, and payment providers. This modular standard allows merchants to declare their capabilities (such as checkout and loyalty features) and enables AI agents to transact with any merchant using a unified approach, significantly reducing cart abandonment and keeping retail data within the merchants' control. Technically, UCP utilizes established web standards, such as OAuth 2.0 and REST, to create seamless e-commerce workflows and supports dynamic interactions for various use cases, including guest and account-linked checkouts. The protocol sits atop existing frameworks like the Linux Foundation's Agent2Agent and Anthropic's Model Context Protocol, orchestrating the complete shopping experience from discovery to post-purchase support. By fostering collaboration through open-source governance and courting developers, Google is positioning UCP as a robust competitor against other AI commerce protocols, potentially disrupting Amazon's stronghold in the retail space.