Shopify announced a new initiative to enable consumers to complete purchases directly inside artificial intelligence (AI)-powered search and chat tools, as the company moves to position its commerce infrastructure at the center of emerging “agentic” shopping experiences.
Shopify said it has co-developed the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard created with Google, announcing the initiative Jan. 10. They said the Universal Commerce Protocol allows AI systems to connect to merchants’ checkout flows and complete transactions within conversational interfaces. Shopify expects native shopping experiences using the protocol to begin rolling out on Google surfaces, including AI Mode in Google Search and the Gemini app.
The company also announced an expanded embedded checkout integration with Microsoft. It would enable consumers to complete purchases directly inside Microsoft Copilot. Shopify said it will manage all AI commerce integrations — including support for ChatGPT — through the Shopify admin interface using what it calls agentic storefronts.
Shopify co-develops Universal Commerce Protocol for agentic AI
The announcements mark Shopify’s most significant step to date toward enabling transactions inside AI-driven discovery tools, rather than directing shoppers to traditional ecommerce websites. It did not disclose financial terms nor the revenue impact it expects.
Shopify said it co-designed the Universal Commerce Protocol to standardize how AI agents handle the wide range of checkout requirements that merchants use. That includes:
- Applying discount codes.
- Validating loyalty programs.
- Selecting subscription terms.
- Confirming conditions such as final-sale items or preorder timing.
The protocol is payment-processor agnostic and supports multiple technical approaches, Shopify said. When it requires customer input — such as choosing delivery dates for large items — the standard defines how AI systems prompt users to provide that information during checkout.
Vanessa Lee, a vice president at Shopify, said the protocol draws on the company’s experience supporting millions of unique checkout configurations. Google executive Ashish Gupta, vice president and general manager of merchant shopping, said the framework intends to give AI platforms and retailers a shared way to complete transactions.
Shopify said more than 20 retailers and platforms have endorsed the protocol, though it did not identify them.
How merchants will apply the Universal Commerce Protocol
Under the new Google integration, Shopify merchants will be able to sell products directly within AI Mode in Google Search and the Gemini app through embedded checkout experiences. Merchants will manage pricing, offers and fulfillment through Shopify’s existing backend systems.
Shopify said select merchants will also participate in a Google “Direct Offers” pilot that allows exclusive deals to appear inside AI-driven conversations.
Shopify said brands including Monos, Gymshark and Everlane plan to sell through Google’s AI surfaces, while merchants such as Keen, Pura Vida and Kyte Baby are using Copilot Checkout.
Shopify also announced a new “agentic” plan that opens its product catalog infrastructure to brands that do not operate Shopify-powered online stores. Through the plan, non-Shopify merchants can list products in the Shopify Catalog and make them available across supported AI commerce channels.
The company said merchants will upload product data once, after which Shopify will distribute that information across AI platforms and future partners. Shopify said it uses large language models (LLMs) to standardize and enrich product data so it can surface accurately in conversational queries.
It positioned the initiative as an effort to make its infrastructure the underlying layer for AI-driven commerce, regardless of where transactions begin.
Shopify did not provide a timeline for broader adoption of the Universal Commerce Protocol beyond initial Google and Microsoft integrations, nor did it specify when the agentic plan will be available.
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