By Eleanor Dickinson
Publication Date: 2026-01-11 23:45:00
Google is the latest tech giant to use AI-powered search to drive consumers straight to checkout, allowing AI-powered brands to offer exclusive discounts.
Discount AI shopping follows similar moves from OpenAI and Microsoft. Google’s pilot program, known as “Direct Offers,” means consumers don’t have to visit a retailer’s website at all.
The program is currently only available to US retailers. However, Google said it aims to expand globally “in the coming months” and introduce more features, including related products, loyalty programs and “custom shopping experiences on Google.”
According to Vidhya Srinivasan, general manager of advertising and commerce at Google, the pilot’s agentic AI ecosystem, known as the “Universal Commerce Protocol,” was developed in collaboration with retailers and e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, and is “supported” by payment platforms such as Amex and…
