Google Unveils AI-Powered Universal Cart for Smarter Online Shopping
Translated & summarized from Cursorinfo by baba
Google has introduced Universal Cart, an AI-powered service that lets users collect items from multiple online stores into one cart, track prices, and find discounts. Initially available in the US, the service aims to simplify online shopping by consolidating items and offering savings tools. Users can checkout via Google Pay for supported retailers, while sellers retain responsibility for order fulfillment and customer service. The platform uses Google's Shopping Graph and Universal Commerce Protocol infrastructure.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Google's new Universal Cart uses AI to consolidate online shopping from multiple retailers into one basket.
- The service tracks prices, finds discounts, and integrates with Google Wallet for payment optimization.
- Universal Cart is initially available in the US via Google Search and the Gemini app.
- Users can checkout directly through Google Pay for supported merchants like Nike and Target.
- Retailers remain responsible for order confirmation, delivery, returns, and customer service.
- The platform leverages Google's Shopping Graph, containing over 60 billion product listings.
Google has launched a new service called Universal Cart, designed to enhance the online shopping experience by leveraging artificial intelligence. The service allows users to aggregate products from various online retailers into a single virtual shopping cart, track price fluctuations, and identify potential discounts. Initially, Universal Cart is available to users in the United States through Google Search and the Gemini app, with no immediate timeline announced for its release in Israel.
The core feature of Universal Cart is its ability to consolidate items discovered across different stores and at different times, even through various Google services. For instance, a user can save an item found via Google Search's AI mode and later add other purchases selected during a conversation with Gemini, with all information synchronized across these platforms. This eliminates the need for multiple browser tabs, saved links, or screenshots.
Beyond organization, Universal Cart offers tools for price monitoring and deal alerts, notifying users of price drops on saved items or their restock after being out of stock. The AI also assists in finding savings by identifying available coupons and optimizing payment methods. Integrated with Google Wallet, it can recommend credit cards and loyalty programs for additional benefits like bonuses, points, or cashback, enabling users to compare not only seller offers but also the most advantageous payment terms.
Once selections are made, users can complete purchases directly through Google Pay for supported merchants, including major retailers like Nike, Sephora, Target, Walmart, and Wayfair. For retailers not supporting direct checkout, users will be redirected to their websites. Google emphasizes that seller responsibility for order confirmation, delivery, returns, and customer service remains unchanged.
The technology behind Universal Cart utilizes the Universal Commerce Protocol infrastructure and Google's Shopping Graph, a database containing over 60 billion product listings, with regularly updated pricing and availability information. This launch represents Google's ongoing effort to integrate AI more deeply into e-commerce, aiming to streamline product discovery, offer comparison, and facilitate checkout processes, with potential future expansion to other Google platforms.