With the announcements at Google I/O 2026, the traditional shopping journey where consumers search for products, compare prices, and check out is giving way to the concept of Agentic Commerce
👉 Artificial intelligence is evolving into a decision-maker (AI Agent) that manages budgets, tracks prices, and even handles the purchasing process directly.
AI Support for Shopping with Universal Cart
Universal Cart: This AI-powered shopping cart transforms the traditional e-commerce cart model, enabling shopping directly through the search engine and the Gemini ecosystem.
Proactive Comparison: The user simply enters the product or criteria they have in mind into the system. Universal Cart then searches for the best options in the background, compares prices, and tracks inventory levels in real time.
Direct Transaction (AP2 Engine): Thanks to new agent-supported payment protocols (AP2), transactions can be completed directly on Google’s platforms without the need to navigate from search results to an e-commerce site.
What’s Changing in the Consumer Journey?
Agentic Commerce narrows the traditional sales funnel, effectively bridging the gap between intent and conversion. The key technologies driving this process include:
- Information Agents: Instead of conducting research themselves, consumers simply tell their information agents what they want. The agent then conducts research 24/7 and reports the appropriate results to the consumer.
- Secure Transactions with Gemini Spark: Gemini Spark, a cloud-based service that runs in the background even when the device is off, prepares high-risk transactions such as spending and payments and finally submits them for user approval.
Natural Language Discovery: When consumers ask questions in natural language—such as “How do I teach my 3-year-old to ride a balance bike?”—the AI finds a video and can take the user directly to the exact moment in the video where that question is answered.
How Should Brands Position Themselves in the Age of Agentic Commerce?
As AI agents take control of the purchasing journey, brands must rethink their digital marketing strategies from the ground up. The goal is no longer just to persuade people, but also to persuade the AI agents that are now making purchases on their behalf.
- From SEO to AEO (Agent Engine Optimization): It’s not enough for your website to be indexed by Google bots alone. Your data—such as pricing, inventory, product details, and return policies—must be structured in a way that allows AI agents to read and process it instantly.
- Context and Trustworthiness: When recommending a product to a user, AI agents analyze the brand’s trustworthiness, customer reviews, and return policies in a matter of seconds. Brands that fail to establish algorithmic trust will not be able to access autonomous shopping carts (Universal Cart).
👉 In short: In the era of Agentic Commerce, your digital presence must speak the language of this new generation of AI agents—who conduct research, make decisions, and manage budgets on behalf of consumers. Brands that put the user at the center while feeding data to these agents in the background will take the lead in the new era of e-commerce.
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