2026 has arrived with a bang! We hope you have your skates on.
With Shopify’s release of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), the foundations of ecommerce have officially changed.
This isn’t a new feature or another integration to consider. UCP is a new commerce standard, co-developed with Google, that enables AI platforms to connect directly with merchants and transact in real-time across the entire shopping journey.
Not just discovery. Not just checkout. Real commerce, inside AI-driven conversations.
What UCP actually is
UCP is a shared language between merchants and AI agents.
It enables platforms like Google AI Mode, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT to understand and execute the complexities of commerce the same way a store does with pricing rules, loyalty, subscriptions, fulfilment options, payment logic and custom checkout flows.
For Shopify merchants, this is enabled by default.
For everyone else, it’s open.
Any brand can now participate in agent-driven commerce without building bespoke integrations for every AI platform.
Why this is a genuine game-changer
1. Personalisation finally works the way merchants need it to
For years, “personalisation” has meant educated guesses - segments, rules, and surface-level recommendations.
UCP changes that.
AI agents can now remember customer preferences, apply loyalty and pricing rules correctly, understand delivery constraints, and complete purchases in context. It’s the difference between showing a product and acting like a personal shopper who actually understands the customer.
This is personalisation that converts, not just customises.
2. The era of tool overload starts to collapse
Merchants are overwhelmed. New channels, new AI tools, new integrations with each promising growth, each adding complexity.
UCP removes friction at the infrastructure level.
Instead of integrating separately with every AI platform, merchants can build once and transact everywhere conversations are happening. The protocol handles the translation, so commerce logic stays intact no matter where the purchase occurs.
Less fragmentation and tech debt and more focus on what actually drives revenue.
3. Control stays with the merchant
This isn’t “dumbed-down” AI commerce.
UCP respects business-critical logic: Discount stacking, subscriptions, loyalty, fulfilment rules, payment flows. If an agent can’t complete a transaction cleanly, it escalates seamlessly back to a human-led checkout experience.
Your margins, customer experience and commercial rules don’t get lost in translation.
Why speed matters now
AI platforms are quickly becoming the front door to commerce.
Buying decisions are moving from browsing to conversation, and brands that aren’t present, accurate and optimised in these environments simply won’t be considered.
Early adopters will shape how their products, pricing and brand are represented by AI agents.
Late adopters will be forced to react on someone else’s terms.
This is one of those moments where waiting costs more than moving.
Where Process fits in
Moments like this create opportunity, but we get it can also seem like a lot of noise.
Not every merchant needs every tool. But every merchant needs a clear strategy for how AI-driven commerce fits into their business now.
That’s where our team comes in.
We help brands:
- Cut through the complexity and prioritise what will actually move the needle
- Translate platform shifts like UCP into a practical, commercial strategy
- Implement fast, without breaking what’s already working
UCP is a powerful infrastructure. Our role is to make sure it’s applied in the right way, at the right time, for your business.
If you want to move quickly and stay ahead of where commerce is heading, book a time with our team.
We’ll help you adopt what matters now and position your brand for what comes next in the AI era of commerce.
