Google debuts Universal Commerce Protocol to streamline agentic shopping automation

Google LLC's debut of the Universal Commerce Protocol to streamline agentic shopping automation marks a significant shift in the e-commerce landscape, enabling artificial intelligence agents to automate the entire shopping journey. This development means that website owners can expect a potential increase in AI-powered traffic on their e-commerce platforms, as AI agents leveraging the Universal Commerce Protocol may start to interact with their sites more seamlessly. Website owners should be prepared to handle and manage this new type of traffic, ensuring their sites are compatible with the protocol and can provide a smooth experience for both human and AI-driven shoppers. To prepare for this change, website owners should take the following steps: review and update their llms.txt files to account for the new protocol, monitor their site's traffic for signs of AI-powered shopping automation, and consider implementing measures to distinguish between human and AI-driven interactions to optimize their site's performance and user experience.