Agentic commerce: when an AI does the shopping, which brand does it pick?

In January 2026, Google announced the Universal Commerce Protocol at NRF, an open standard for AI agents to discover products and complete purchases, developed with Shopify and retailers including Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart [1][2]. It’s already connected to Google’s AI Mode and Gemini in the US [2].

Are people ready?

Research from Checkout.com published in June found a third of consumers expect AI to drive at least 10% of their purchases within a year, but only about 3% of transactions currently involve AI agents. Around a quarter say they’ll never delegate purchases to AI, and people want spending caps and the ability to cancel instantly [3]. Notably, 57% would let an agent switch brands to get better value [3].

Why that should worry (and excite) brands

If an agent is choosing, loyalty and packaging don’t do the work they used to. The agent reads structured information: price, availability, delivery, returns, reviews and how clearly your product is described.

Getting agent-ready

• Make product data complete, accurate and consistent everywhere you sell.

• Be explicit about delivery, returns and guarantees. Agents compare them.

• Invest in reviews and third-party proof.

• Give people a reason to ask for you by name. Brand still decides the shortlist.

Sources

1. Read Sundar Pichai’s remarks at the 2026 National Retail Federation, Google

2. Under the hood: Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), Google Developers Blog

3. Consumer demand for AI shopping is forming fast, but trust for agentic commerce is still catching up, Checkout.com (June 2026)

If buyers are asking AI tools about your category, the first fix is a clear, consistent description of what you do and who it’s for. That’s what our Positioning Sprint settles in two weeks.