Google has launched Universal Cart in the US, a tool that consolidates products from multiple retailers into a single cart across Search and Gemini. The feature offers price tracking, payment optimization, and checkout via the Universal Commerce Protocol.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Google announced on Thursday that its "Universal Cart" tool is now available to users in the United States. The feature, which was first previewed at Google I/O in May, allows shoppers to collect and monitor products they find across Google Search and the Gemini app. The launch aims to simplify online shopping by creating a central hub for browsing and tracking potential purchases across multiple retailers.
Universal Cart is designed to replace the need for multiple browser tabs or screenshots by saving items from different stores into a single, unified space. According to Google, the cart saves progress across Google platforms, so users do not have to start their shopping from scratch when they return later.
The tool is built on Google’s Shopping Graph, which contains "60+ billion continually refreshed product listings." This infrastructure allows the cart to work in the background, sending notifications to users when a saved product’s price drops or when an out-of-stock item becomes available again. Additionally, the cart can surface relevant promotional codes directly alongside saved items.
Universal Cart integrates with Google Wallet to help users optimize their payments. Google says the tool can analyze the perks associated with a user’s saved credit cards to help them choose the best payment method. It also identifies hidden savings or points based on these card benefits.
When users are ready to purchase, they have two options:
Participating merchants include Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart, Wayfair, and many Shopify merchants. In both scenarios, the merchant remains the seller of record and provides direct confirmations and customer support.
The checkout experience is powered by the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard introduced by Google earlier this year. UCP is designed to facilitate collaboration between AI agents and retailers across various stages of the shopping journey, including checkout.
Google states that UCP-powered checkout on Google will expand to Canada and Australia in the coming months, with plans for the U.K. later. The protocol is also expected to come to YouTube in the U.S. and expand to other verticals, starting with hotel booking and local food delivery.
The launch of Universal Cart occurs as competition in AI-assisted e-commerce intensifies. Rivals such as Amazon, OpenAI, and Meta have also introduced agentic commerce features, aiming to make chatbots and AI assistants more useful for online shopping.
While Universal Cart organizes and assists with the shopping process, it does not independently make every buying decision; users remain in control of the items they save and the purchases they complete. Google also plans to integrate Universal Cart with Gmail and YouTube, though no timeline has been announced for these additions.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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