Google AI Mode: Etsy and Wayfair UCP Checkout Now Live (Feb 2026)

For the first time, millions of US shoppers can complete real purchases inside an AI conversation. On February 11, 2026, Google announced that items from Etsy and Wayfair are now buyable directly inside AI Mode in Google Search and the Gemini app. The entire transaction happens without leaving the chat.

The purchases are powered by Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), the open standard Google launched with Shopify and 20+ partners at the National Retail Federation conference in January. This is the first live deployment of UCP-powered checkout with third-party marketplaces. Google confirmed that Shopify merchants, Target, and Walmart will follow soon, and that hundreds of additional companies have expressed interest in integrating the protocol since its launch.

Google Launches UCP Checkout for Etsy and Wayfair

Vidhya Srinivasan, Google's VP and General Manager of Ads and Commerce, published her third annual letter to the industry on February 11. In it, she confirmed UCP checkout is now live:

"UCP-powered checkout is rolling out now, letting US shoppers buy items from Etsy and Wayfair, right in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, with Shopify, Target, and Walmart coming soon."

The announcement marks Universal Commerce Protocol's transition from specification to production system. When Google and Shopify introduced UCP at NRF 2026 in January, it was a standard on paper backed by major partners. Now it is processing real transactions with recognizable retailers.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai previewed this direction during his NRF keynote in January: "Soon you'll see a buy button directly on Google surfaces including AI Mode in Search and Gemini." That buy button is now live for Etsy and Wayfair products.

How UCP-Powered Checkout Works in Google AI Mode

The shopping flow is straightforward. A US shopper searching for a product in AI Mode or Gemini sees relevant items from UCP-enabled merchants surfaced by Google's AI agent. The agent handles product discovery, comparison, and checkout within the same conversational interface. Payments are processed securely through Google Pay via the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2).

Merchants remain the merchant of record throughout the transaction. They retain full ownership of the customer relationship, order fulfillment, and post-purchase support. UCP standardizes the connection between AI agents and merchant systems, but does not disintermediate the retailer.

Srinivasan emphasized that Universal Commerce Protocol enables agentic commerce beyond checkout: "UCP standardizes how businesses connect with AI agents across the entire shopping journey, including the critical step of enabling secure digital identity and payments."

Why Etsy and Wayfair First

Both Etsy and Wayfair were co-developers of UCP from the beginning. They joined the initiative alongside Walmart, Target, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and other major retailers when Google announced the protocol at NRF. Learn more about how UCP works for AI-powered shopping. Their early involvement in the specification process likely gave them a head start on integration.

The choice also makes strategic sense for Google. Etsy's marketplace of unique, handmade, and vintage items and Wayfair's extensive home goods catalog represent product categories where AI-assisted discovery adds clear value. Shoppers looking for distinctive furniture or one-of-a-kind gifts benefit from an AI agent that can search, filter, and compare across thousands of listings within a single conversation.

Sponsored Ads Coming to AI Mode

Alongside the UCP checkout expansion, Srinivasan revealed that Google is testing a new sponsored ad format inside AI Mode. The format highlights retailers offering products relevant to a query and is clearly labeled as "Sponsored."

Google is also expanding Direct Offers, an ad pilot introduced at NRF that lets businesses share tailored deals with shoppers in AI Mode. The company plans to extend Direct Offers beyond price-based promotions to include loyalty benefits and product bundles.

The ad expansion reflects a broader commercial strategy. According to Adobe, generative AI referral traffic surged 693% during the 2025 holiday season. Google is positioning AI Mode as both a shopping surface and an advertising channel, following the same model that turned traditional search into a revenue engine.

Industry Reaction and Scale

UCP adoption is accelerating beyond initial expectations. Google reported that "hundreds of top tech companies, payments partners and retailers" have expressed interest in integrating the protocol since its January launch. At NRF, more than 20 companies had endorsed UCP. That number appears to be growing rapidly.

Andy Szanger, director of strategic industries at CDW, a technology solutions provider, noted the shift in how consumers discover products: "People are moving more toward having AI as an integral part of their every day, and shopping is just a natural extension of that. It's not going to replace shopping in-store, but it's another avenue that retailers need to be thinking about."

Srinivasan framed the moment in broader terms: "Agentic commerce is no longer just a concept, it's reality. Our goal is twofold: One, remove the gruntwork of shopping so consumers can focus on the fun parts. Two, work hand-in-hand with the industry on the building blocks needed to make agentic commerce seamless and secure."

What This Means for Merchants

For merchants already on UCP or considering it, this announcement validates the protocol as a live commerce channel. The key takeaways:

• UCP is processing real transactions. This is no longer a specification or a pilot. Etsy and Wayfair items are purchasable through AI surfaces today.
• The partner pipeline is growing fast. Shopify, Target, and Walmart are confirmed as next. Hundreds more are in discussion.
• AI Mode is becoming a shopping destination. With UCP checkout, organic shopping recommendations, and sponsored ad formats, Google is building a full commerce experience inside its AI search.
• Merchants keep the customer relationship. UCP's merchant-of-record model means retailers retain control over fulfillment, returns, and customer data. See which retailers are live in our UCP merchant directory.
• Getting started is straightforward. Visit ucp.dev for technical specs, or check with your e-commerce platform. Shopify and major platforms are building native UCP support.

For merchants not yet on UCP, the window to be an early adopter is narrowing. The protocol is open source and available at ucp.dev. Implementation starts with publishing a manifest at /.well-known/ucp on your domain. Learn more in our comprehensive UCP guide.

Beyond Retail

Srinivasan's letter also signaled that UCP's scope extends beyond traditional retail. Google described the protocol as "laying the foundation for a future where all commercial experiences can be seamless and agentic." The company is already testing AI Mode ad formats in travel, suggesting that UCP-style integrations could expand to bookings, services, and other commercial categories.

Google also highlighted its AI creative tools, noting a 3x increase in Gemini-generated ad assets in 2025 and nearly 70 million creative assets generated in Q4 alone through AI Max and Performance Max campaigns.

UCP vs ACP: How Google Competes with ChatGPT Shopping

Google's UCP rollout arrives as the agentic commerce space heats up. OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which powers shopping inside ChatGPT, has been live since late 2025. The two protocols take different approaches: UCP offers a comprehensive, open-source standard covering the full shopping lifecycle with decentralized discovery, while ACP provides a curated, checkout-optimized experience within ChatGPT. For a detailed comparison, see our UCP vs ACP analysis. You can also explore UCP merchants by category to see the growing ecosystem.

The Etsy and Wayfair launch gives UCP a concrete milestone that matches ACP's existing merchant integrations. With Shopify, Target, and Walmart on deck, UCP's merchant coverage is set to expand significantly in the coming months.

What Comes Next

Google Marketing Live, the company's annual ads event, takes place this spring and will likely bring more detailed announcements about UCP expansion, AI Mode advertising, and the merchant onboarding process. In the meantime, UCP checkout is live and processing transactions.

AI shopping agents are no longer just recommending products. They are completing purchases from major marketplaces inside the search experience. Shopping inside AI conversations is no longer experimental. It is operational.