At NRF 2026, Google officially launched the Universal Commerce Protocol with over 20 global partners including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart as co-developers, and Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, American Express, and Adyen as payment endorsers.

UCP establishes a common language for AI agents, platforms, and businesses to communicate across the entire commerce journey — from product discovery through post-purchase support. It's designed as a three-tier system mirroring TCP/IP: a Shopping Service Layer, a Capabilities Layer, and an Extensions Layer.

The protocol uses decentralized discovery through `.well-known/ucp` endpoints, meaning merchants publish their commerce capabilities at their own domains. This is the infrastructure layer that makes agentic commerce possible at scale.

Google Launches UCP at NRF 2026 With 20+ Global Partners