Shopping online has always been a fragmented mess — items scattered across multiple tabs, browser wishlists, and retailer accounts. Google is taking a swing at fixing that with the Universal Cart, announced at I/O 2026 as the company's next step toward what it's calling agentic commerce.
The pitch is simple: one cart that works everywhere across Google's ecosystem.
What Universal Cart Does
Universal Cart sits across Search, Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail, so you can add products from any of those surfaces without switching context. The moment something lands in your cart, it starts working in the background — monitoring for price drops, tracking stock levels, checking price history, and flagging when items return to stock.
It's powered by Gemini's reasoning models, which means the cart can do more than just hold items. If you're building a custom PC and add components from multiple retailers, for example, the cart will proactively flag compatibility issues and suggest alternatives. It also understands your payment method perks and loyalty rewards via Google Wallet integration, helping surface savings opportunities you'd otherwise miss.
Checkout and Merchants
When you're ready to buy, the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) handles checkout. You can pay with Google Pay in a few taps with select retailers, or transfer your cart to the merchant's site to complete the purchase your way. Launch partners include Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart, Wayfair, and Shopify merchants, including Fenty and Steve Madden.
Google is clear that the merchant stays the merchant of record regardless of how you check out. The UCP checkout experience is also expanding to Canada and Australia in the coming months, with the U.K. to follow, plus a rollout to YouTube in the U.S.
The Agentic Commerce Layer
Underpinning all of this is the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), which allows AI agents to make purchases on your behalf within guardrails you define. You set the criteria — specific brands, price limits, conditions — and the agent only acts when those are met. A tamper-proof digital record links you, the merchant, and the payment processor, ensuring an audit trail whenever you need to make a return.
Universal Cart is rolling out to Search and the Gemini app in the U.S. this summer, with support for YouTube and Gmail to follow shortly after.
