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Google Launches Universal Cart Shopping Tool in the US

AI-powered feature lets shoppers collect and monitor products across search and the Gemini app

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources2 outlets
Google on Thursday launched Universal Cart, a tool that allows users in the United States to collect and monitor products they find across Google Search and in the Gemini app. First previewed at Google I/O in May, the feature aims to simplify online shopping by serving as a central hub for browsing and tracking potential purchases from multiple retailers.

Universal Cart is designed to help shoppers manage their online shopping more efficiently. Users can save items they find and return later to find them still in the cart, eliminating the need to hunt down products again. The tool can collect items from various retailers, turning it into a unified browsing hub.

Google says the cart can also notify users when a saved product's price drops or when an out-of-stock item becomes available again. Additionally, it can factor in credit card perks when suggesting payment options and surface relevant promo codes.

Checkout is tied to Google's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard the company introduced earlier this year. UCP is designed to enable AI agents and retailers to work together across different stages of the shopping journey, including checkout.

Universal Cart joins other AI-powered shopping features from Google, such as conversational product discovery in Search's AI Mode and the "Let Google Call" tool, which uses an AI agent to contact nearby stores to check item availability.

Google is not alone in integrating AI into e-commerce. Competitors including Amazon and OpenAI have also added agentic commerce features as tech companies seek to make chatbots useful beyond answering questions.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • Universal Cart could change how consumers approach online shopping by consolidating product tracking across retailers, potentially reducing cart abandonment.
  • The tool represents a significant step in Google's strategy to embed AI deeply into commerce, putting it in direct competition with Amazon and emerging AI shopping agents.
  • The success of Universal Cart may influence how other tech companies develop cross-retailer shopping features.

Background

Google has been expanding its AI capabilities in shopping for some time. At its annual developer conference in May, the company previewed Universal Cart as part of a broader push to make AI assistance more practical in everyday tasks. The tool builds on Google's existing AI Mode in Search and leverages the Gemini platform. The introduction of Universal Commerce Protocol signals an effort to create an open standard for AI-driven transactions, similar to how Google has pushed open standards in other areas.

Key Perspectives

Consumers: The tool offers convenience by centralising product tracking and price monitoring, potentially saving time and money. However, privacy-conscious shoppers may be wary of having their shopping behaviour consolidated under one Google service. Retailers: Those who integrate with UCP could benefit from easier checkout and exposure to Google's shopping ecosystem, but may be concerned about losing direct customer relationships and control over the shopping experience. Competitors (Amazon, OpenAI): Universal Cart intensifies competition in agentic commerce. Amazon has its own AI shopping agents, while OpenAI recently launched a shopping system. Each player is vying to become the default assistant for online purchases.

What to Watch

  • Adoption rate of Universal Cart among US shoppers and how many retailers integrate with UCP.
  • Any consumer privacy or antitrust concerns that may arise as Google centralises more shopping data.
  • Response from Amazon and other competitors, including potential new features or partnerships.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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