Editorial
Research Report
Your Reputation Is On the (Phone) Line
The Gist
- Agentic commerce marks a generational shift in how buying happens. Like the internet, mobile, and ecommerce before it, agent-driven discovery and purchasing will redefine how customers find, evaluate, and transact with brands across channels.
- Two competing protocols are shaping the future. ACP emphasizes conversational, agent-led buying inside chat interfaces, while UCP extends search into agentic discovery across its ecosystem.
- Brands must prepare for a dual-track commerce reality. Success will require structured product data for agentic indexing, conversational readiness for AI agents, and a Big-C commerce mindset that delivers continuity from discovery to fulfillment and support.
There are moments in life that simply sit with you as vitally important, events that can't be purged from recent or distant memories. From the birth of the internet in 1989, to Amazon selling its first book digitally in 1995, to Apple's first iPhone announcement in 2007. It's safe to say the last 40 years or so have had their fair share of plot twists and "holy shit moments."
Well, I'm here to tell you that we are at the precipice of another moment in time that will be looked at, studied and talked about for decades to come.
I'm talking about the future of product discovery, brand interactions and conversational conversions.
Yes, I'm talking about Agentic Commerce.
Recently, there's been a ton of new developments in this space, and as I consider myself a Big C Commerce guy, I'd like to spend time to walk you through each, why they are important and, more importantly, what it means for your band and your customers.
Table of Contents
- What Is Big C Commerce?
- OpenAI & Stripe – Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)
- Google – Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)
- ACP vs. UCP: Which Path Is Right for You?
- The Agentic Commerce Outcome Is Still Customer-Centered
What Is Big C Commerce?
First things first: "What the heck do you mean by Big C Commerce?"
Let me explain, Big C Commerce is an idea, a concept, a fluid motion of being that is the active, living breathing entity of how we all shop and buy products. It's everywhere and nowhere. It's not bound to a screen, to a phone, to an in-store shopping experience. Big C Commerce looks at the entire network of distributed actions and channels that customers have access to.
Why should you look at Commerce through the Big C lens? Simple: your brand touchpoints span farther than they have ever before, and because of this, your customers expect experiences to feel the same regardless of which channel they are in. From product discovery, to purchasing, to fulfilment, to support: Big C Commerce is mindset that I prescribe to that aims to build continuity between all of these channels.
(We will come back to this)
Now, before we dive into Agentic Commerce, let's look at some recent history between two large players driving this newly focused way of shopping. There are two main players here:
OpenAI-Stripe and their co-development of ACP (Agentic Commerce Protocol) and Google with their development of UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol)
Let's explore each.
Related Article: Is the Metaverse Making a Comeback in Agentic Commerce?
OpenAI & Stripe – Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)
Launched in late 2025, ACP was created to assist ChatGPTs Instant checkout feature. ACP focuses on agent-led buying experiences. These agents act intuitively, decipher intent and compare products based upon various inputs, behaviors and other factors to help select the appropriate product for the customer (the human). The protocol aims to give agents the ability to brands product feeds, while also allowing decisions to be made within the chat UI.
Google – Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)
Google decided to chart its own course within the newly discovered world of agentic as they just announced UCP, in a sense, a direct competitor to ACP. UCP is focusing on the entirety of the experience, through their recently announced Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, a sort of collection of Google products aimed to be the front-end consumer channels to activate the UCP standards. UCP's big goal is to create a centralized protocol and standards that brands will need to abide by to be invited to the party that is Google Search and Gemini.
Confused? It's okay, many are. Here's the short of it. Both aim to achieve the same results, but in different ways.
ACP vs. UCP: Two Paths to Agentic Commerce
Editor’s note: Both OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) and Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) aim to reshape how buying happens — but they approach discovery, influence, and execution very differently.
| Dimension | Conversation to Buy (OpenAI + ACP) | Browse to Buy (Google + UCP) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Conversation to buy | Browse to buy |
| Core Interaction Model | Human-initiated dialogue guides agents through product selection using intent, prior behavior and conversational cues | Human-initiated discovery queries surface products through indexed brand content, trends and inventory signals |
| Scope | Agent-led buying experiences focused on reasoning, intent, and continuous conversation — high influence | Big C Commerce, everywhere and anywhere across Google Search, Gemini and related surfaces |
| Agent Role | Acts as an intelligent buying assistant that asks follow-up questions, compares options, and refines choices in real time | Acts as a discovery engine that surfaces available products based on relevance, availability, and delivery constraints |
| Source of Record | Purchases occur directly and only within the chat-based interface | Purchases can happen anywhere inside Google’s ecosystem and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience |
| Retailer Action Required | Enable agents to interact effectively with brand systems and product data through direct integrations | Structure and submit product data to Google to be indexed — a new form of SEO for agentic discovery |
| Primary Question Answered | Is this the right product, at the right time, for the right customer? | Is this product available to purchase today, and how long will it take to be delivered? |
ACP vs. UCP: Which Path Is Right for You?
So, now for the million-dollar question. Which do you pick? What is the right fit for your brand and your customers?
The Answer Is Not Either-Or
Well, in theory – you'll need to operate in both, to some degree at least.
Google is taking the stance of extending the world of search we all know into agentic. Focusing on giving merchants the ability to load in product feeds to be indexed, similar to how they have done it the last 30 years or so. This is a world where merchants will likely be able to pay for placement in the future, as it is today.
While OpenAI is taking the stance of building branding behavioral continuity around the agent-led conversations, where consumers choose ChatGPT as the destination because of its logic, reasoning and conversational elements.
The Hidden Cost: Dual Strategies and Data Complexity
The challenge with both is that retailers need to have two strategies, and two data sources to manage to appeal to both channels, a heavy and potentially expensive burden.
Additionally, there's the other elephant in the room we haven't addressed. Amazon. Currently, Amazon is violently against both UCP and ACP.
Why?
They have the consumer habitual behaviors locked in. They have no need to collaborate in this space when many folks choose Amazon day in and day out. However, that could change rapidly as press, the media and economy are all influenced by the buzz that is agentic. Behaviors will shift, intent will pivot and consumers will start to embrace these new channels.
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Related Article: Google Pushes Standards for Agentic AI Commerce With AP2
From SEO to AEO: Being Invited to the Agentic Layer
Look at it this way. Leveraging the UCP foundation is almost like an invitation to the party. It will ensure that your products are in the mix, and the basic rules around SEO will likely shift into this world of AEO (Agentic Engine Optimization).
So, in theory – you need to be there. Google is betting the ideology around "shop anywhere, at any time, in any channel," where OpenAI is betting on experience, influence and intelligence reasoning to help consumers make decisions. This represents a fundamental shift in how brands approach customer experience strategy.
Another way to think about it: UCP and Google would be similar to going to Target to buy a product, and asking a store associate where something is. Where OpenAI and ACP would be similar to going into a Lamborghini dealership where the sales associate gets to know you, asks you questions and helps you build your new supercar based upon a conversation.
While both are rooted in purchasing something, each represents different levels of intent and complexity (or lack thereof). OpenAI is pushing its chips in on the idea that they will build such a personalized experience that will drive loyalty amongst consumers and eventually, will enable full autonomous purchasing, while Google will stick with the goal of keeping search and product discovery open and accessible, with everything and purchasable anywhere.
This period in time is quite compelling and signifies a tectonic shift in the world of commerce as agentic becomes the new shiny toy that all brands will want (and should) to play with. But this shift is only the tip of the iceberg, as there are other important considerations. From agentic payments to security to price negotiations – there are many variables that brands need to account for, frankly.
We are at the start line of a race that will be ran for years to come.
The Agentic Commerce Outcome Is Still Customer-Centered
When looking at this shift to Agentic Commerce, remember the outcome is based on what consumers desire: that's the true end goal and success metric; it's about leveraging these new tools to get your customers to their end point. Or, as Theodore Levitt, a historical marketer and economist once saidm "People don't want to buy a quarter inch drill, they want a quarter inch hole."
These new channels are the drill, and your products are the holes. Google and OpenAI represent the tool that will be used to solve their problems; simply insert your product into the mix, enable findability and focus on post purchase customer satisfaction. This is the formula for agentic CX excellence in 2026 and beyond.
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