Google has announced a new suite of AI-powered shopping and checkout tools designed to help retailers reduce friction for customers, as the tech giant pushes even further into AI-driven commerce experiences.
The updates were revealed during Google Marketing Live 2026, broadcast from California to marketers and advertisers across more than 140 countries.
Among the biggest announcements was Google’s new Universal Cart, an AI-powered shopping cart built to work across retailers and Google-owned platforms including Search and Gemini.
“Our new Universal Cart is a truly intelligent shopping cart that works across retailers and across services like Search, Gemini and more,” Google shared in a blog post. “When shoppers are ready to buy, UCP makes checkout from their cart smooth.”
Google added shoppers will be able to complete purchases using Google Pay “in just a few taps” with participating brands, or alternatively transfer items directly to a retailer’s own website to finalise purchases.
Speaking at the event, Vidhya Srinivasan, VP/GM of advertising & commerce at Google said: “You’ll be able to add things to your cart when you’re browsing Search, chatting with Gemini, watching YouTube or even reading your Gmail.”
“The moment you add a product, your cart goes to work for you in the background,” she said. “It finds deals, looks at price drops, gives you insights on the price history and alerts you when something comes back in stock.”
She explained it all runs on Google’s Gemini models.
The feature is expected to roll out across retailers including Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart and Wayfair, alongside merchants on Shopify including Fenty Beauty and Steve Madden.
Google said retailers would continue to remain the “merchant of record” regardless of how customers choose to complete transactions.
The announcements form part of Google’s broader Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) strategy, which aims to bring what it describes as “agentic commerce” to more users across more surfaces.
The company also confirmed it would begin integrating UCP-powered purchasing features directly into ad products, allowing consumers to buy products directly from Shopping ads on YouTube and Direct Offers campaigns.
New payment integrations with Affirm and Klarna will also allow shoppers to access buy-now-pay-later options directly within Google Pay.
Beyond checkout, Google introduced new AI-powered tools aimed at helping retailers improve discoverability and campaign management.
This includes new AI performance insights within Merchant Center, designed to show brands how they are performing across AI-powered shopping surfaces, as well as conversational product description tools to better match the way consumers increasingly search online.
Google also announced a new AI assistant called Ask Advisor, which will help retailers manage listings, insights and campaigns across Google Ads and Google Analytics.
Australia and Canada are among the first markets slated for expanded UCP-powered checkout rollouts in the coming months, ahead of a broader UK launch later on.
