The new checkout experience will be enabled by UCP on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, the online seller of furniture and home goods said in a Monday (Jan. 12) press release.
In this experience, Wayfair will be the merchant of record, ensuring consistent pricing, fulfillment and customer support, the release said.
Wayfair is working with other retailers on UCP and other standards to help ensure that AI-driven shopping experiences connect customers with trusted merchants, Wayfair Chief Technology Officer Fiona Tan said in the release.
“Wayfair is investing in AI-powered discovery wherever our customers are — whether that is on our own app or across external AI platforms,” Tan said. “The Universal Commerce Protocol serves as the common language for this new ecosystem. It allows agents to bridge the gap between discovery and checkout, while ensuring we remain the merchant of record to guarantee the quality of the service.”
In a Monday blog post on this topic, Wayfair said: “Agentic commerce is still in its early stages, but it points to a more intuitive, conversational and personalized future for shopping. By helping define open standards now, Wayfair is investing in experiences that make it easier for customers to move from inspiration to confident purchase.”
PYMNTS reported in August that Wayfair was leaning into AI with consumer-facing AI initiatives like the Decorify and Muse platforms, which allows customers to visualize and personalize home design, and the new Discover tab in the company’s app that showcases AI-curated content.
In addition, Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah said at the time during an earnings call, the company is working to optimize interactions so that AI platforms and understand and recommend Wayfair.
Google debuted UCP Monday, saying this agentic commerce standard was developed in collaboration with Wayfair, Shopify, Etsy, Target and Walmart.