At I/O, Google debuts universal shopping cart — AI agent that finds matching products across stores

Google on May 19 used its I/O 2026 conference to introduce Universal Cart, a shopping feature that collects items across merchants and Google services, tracks prices and inventory, and in some cases completes checkout on a shopper’s behalf. The product is part of a broader Google push into what the company calls “agentic commerce,” where AI systems move beyond recommending products and begin handling parts of the transaction flow. Google said Universal Cart will launch in the United States this summer across Search and the Gemini app, with YouTube and Gmail to follow. ### So what exactly is Universal Cart? Google described Universal Cart as “your new hub for shopping on Google,” built to work across merchants and surfaces rather than inside a single retailer’s app or site. A shopper can add products while browsing Search, chatting with Gemini, watching YouTube or reading Gmail, and the cart then keeps working in the background. (blog.google) Google said the system looks for deals and price drops, shows price-history information and alerts users when an item comes back in stock. The company also said the feature runs on its Gemini models, meaning the cart can reason across multiple items and contexts rather than just store a list of products. ### How is this different from last year’s “buy for me” feature? (blog.google) Google had already moved in this direction at I/O 2025, when it introduced agentic checkout inside AI Mode. That earlier feature let shoppers set a target price on a product, receive a price-drop notification and then tap “buy for me,” after which Google would add the item to the merchant’s cart and complete checkout with Google Pay. (blog.google) The 2026 version extends that idea from a single product flow to a broader cross-web cart. Universal Cart is designed to hold items from multiple retailers, compare offers and keep track of compatibility, loyalty benefits and payment perks in one place, according to Google’s announcement. ### How does Google say the system works across stores? (blog.google) Google tied Universal Cart to the Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP, an open standard it announced in January with partners including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart. Google said UCP creates a common language for agents, retailers and payment providers across the shopping journey, from discovery to purchase and post-purchase support. (blog.google) In March, Google added UCP features that let agents save multiple items to a cart, retrieve real-time catalog details such as pricing and inventory, and link shopper identity so loyalty pricing or free-shipping benefits can carry across integrated platforms. Those pieces help explain how Universal Cart can combine items from different merchants while still reflecting retailer-specific offers and account benefits. (blog.google) ### What can the AI agent actually do once items are in the cart? Google said Universal Cart can do more than monitor prices. In one example, the company said a shopper assembling a custom PC could add components from several retailers and the cart would flag incompatible parts and suggest alternatives. Google also said the cart is built on Google Wallet, allowing it to understand payment-method perks, loyalty information and merchant offers. (blog.google) When a shopper is ready to buy, checkout can happen in two ways: through Google Pay in a few taps with participating brands, or by transferring items to the merchant’s site to finish the purchase there. Google said the merchant remains the merchant of record in either case. (blog.google) ### Which merchants are involved first? Google named Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart, Wayfair and Shopify merchants including Fenty and Steve Madden among the early participants for select checkout features. The company has separately said UCP was co-developed with major retailers and commerce platforms and is being expanded through Merchant Center onboarding. (blog.google) Google’s next milestone is the U.S. summer rollout on Search and Gemini. YouTube and Gmail integrations are scheduled to follow, according to the company’s May 19 announcement. (blog.google)