Wayfair announced it would join other early retailers in using Google’s new open standard for interactions between agentic artificial intelligence (AI) and ecommerce platforms.

Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), which it co-developed with Shopify, debuted with Walmart as another partner, as the National Retail Federation’s NRF 2026 conference kicked off in New York City. Wayfair’s adoption of the protocol will mean that the furniture retailer’s products eventually appear with a new checkout experience enabled through listings in AI Mode in Google Search results, as well as the Gemini app.

Wayfair ranks No. 10 in the Top 2000 Database. The Top 2000 is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North American online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales and more. Wayfair is also the highest-ranking Housewares & Home Furnishings retailer in the Top 2000.

Why Wayfair is using the Google protocol for agentic commerce transactions

“Wayfair is investing in AI‑powered discovery wherever our customers are — whether that is on our own app or across external AI platforms,” said Fiona Tan, chief technology officer at Wayfair, in the company’s announcement. “The Universal Commerce Protocol serves as the common language for this new ecosystem.”

Tan noted that the standard would make it possible to maintain an expected quality of experience for shoppers.

“It allows agents to bridge the gap between discovery and checkout, while ensuring we remain the merchant of record to guarantee the quality of the service,” she explained.

What is Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)?

Google specifically designed its UCP to facilitate agentic commerce actions in Google’s AI products. The company touts its ability to support “direct, instant purchases” when products appear in AI Mode in Search or the Gemini app. In addition to providing merchants with control over their brand-product associations, the protocol also offers visibility into customer data and relationships.

The standard joins Google’s other recent efforts to build out digital infrastructure for agentic commerce. Those launches have included Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), introduced publicly in September 2025, as well as agentic checkout in Google experiences that debuted for the 2025 holiday season.

Meanwhile, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has also introduced its own Agentic Commerce Protocol, which it used for the platform’s Instant Checkout options.

Wayfair sees its own use of UCP as a solution for ensuring consistent pricing, fulfillment and customer support.

“By working together with other retailers on open standards like UCP, we’re helping ensure AI-driven shopping experiences connect customers to trusted retailers and reliable purchase experiences,” Tan stated.

Do you rank in our databases? 

Submit your data and we’ll see where you fit in our next ranking update.

Sign up

Stay on top of the latest developments in the online retail industry. Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 Retail News. Follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and YouTube. Be the first to know when Digital Commerce 360 publishes news content.