I wrote recently about how 81% of South Africans are using AI to shop. Asking ChatGPT where to find the cheapest version of what you sell. Using Perplexity to compare your prices to your competitors. Researching products with AI before they ever click on your website.
That article was about consumer behaviour. This one's about the infrastructure Google's building to make that behaviour seamless.
On January 11, 2026, Google announced something that will fundamentally change how e-commerce works. Not in some distant, theoretical future. In the next 6 to 9 months for South African businesses.
It's called the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), and it comes with a suite of tools including Business Agents—AI assistants that can complete purchases on behalf of your customers without them ever visiting your website.
If you run an e-commerce business in South Africa, this matters more than you think.
What Google Actually Announced
At the National Retail Federation conference in New York, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stood on stage and announced what he called "a critical building block" for the future of retail.
The Universal Commerce Protocol is an open-source standard (Apache 2.0 license, if you care about that sort of thing) that creates a common language for AI agents, businesses, and payment providers to communicate.
Here's the problem it solves: Previously, if ChatGPT wanted to help someone buy something from your store, OpenAI would need to build a custom integration with your specific platform. Then Claude would need its own integration. Then Gemini. Then Perplexity. Every AI assistant building custom connections to every retailer.
That doesn't scale.
UCP creates a standardised way for any AI agent to talk to any retailer. Like how USB-C works with any device—one standard, multiple platforms.
Google didn't build this alone. They co-developed it with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart. Another 20+ companies have endorsed it: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Stripe, Adyen, Best Buy, Macy's, The Home Depot.
Notably absent? Amazon. They're building their own thing.
Alongside UCP, Google launched:
Business Agents – AI chatbots that appear in Google Search results and answer customer questions in your brand's voice. Currently live with Lowe's, Michaels, Poshmark, and Reebok.
Agentic Checkout – The ability for customers to complete purchases directly in Google Search or the Gemini app without leaving Google's interface.
Buy for Me – A feature where customers can set price alerts and authorise Google to automatically purchase items when they drop below a threshold.
All of this is live in the United States as of January 12, 2026. None of it is available in South Africa yet.
What This Actually Means When You Strip Away the Tech Jargon
Let me walk you through what the customer experience looks like.
Someone opens Google and searches for "cosy sweaters for happy hour in warm autumn colours."
The AI (Google's AI Mode, which is already available in South Africa) generates a response showing products with prices, reviews, and inventory information. Not links to websites. Actual products with buy buttons.
The customer clicks "Buy." Google processes the checkout using the Universal Commerce Protocol. Payment happens via Google Pay (PayPal coming soon). Order confirmation sent. You—the retailer—fulfil the order.
The customer never visited your website.
Never saw your carefully designed product pages. Never navigated your checkout flow.
But you still made the sale. You're still the Merchant of Record. You own the customer data. You handle the returns. Google just facilitated the transaction.
Now here's where Business Agents come in
When someone searches for your brand specifically, they might see a "Chat" button next to your result. Click it, and they're talking to an AI assistant that knows your product catalogue, can answer questions, compare options, check inventory, and complete purchases—all in your brand's voice.
This isn't a Google employee answering questions. It's an AI agent powered by your product data and configured through Google Merchant Center to sound like your brand.
For the first time, small businesses get something that only big companies could afford before: a 24/7 sales assistant that never sleeps, never gets sick, never needs training, and costs nothing per conversation.
When This Is Coming to South Africa (And Why the Timeline Matters)
Google hasn't announced an international rollout date for UCP or Business Agents. They've said "international expansion in coming months" and left it at that.
But we can make educated guesses based on how Google has rolled out AI features recently.
AI Overviews launched in the US on May 14, 2024. They reached South Africa on October 28, 2024. Five months.
AI Mode launched in the US between March and June 2025. It reached South Africa on August 21, 2025. Two to five months.
Google Pay launched in the US in February 2018. It reached South Africa in August 2022. Four years.
Two patterns emerge. AI features are rolling out to South Africa faster than payment features used to. And Google has explicitly prioritised South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria as key African markets for AI rollout.
UCP sits at the intersection. It's an AI commerce feature (suggesting faster rollout) but requires payment infrastructure (which historically took years).
The key difference? Google already has payment infrastructure in South Africa. Google Wallet launched here in August 2022 with partnerships with FNB, Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Discovery Bank, and Investec.
That's not a long time if you're running an e-commerce business and your entire product catalogue isn't AI-readable yet.
What E-Commerce Businesses Actually Need to Know
Here's what changes and what doesn't.
What changes:
Your website becomes a data source rather than the primary sales channel. The AI extracts information from your site, presents it in Search or Gemini, and completes the transaction there.
Product data quality becomes more important than website design. If your product descriptions are vague ("premium quality," "exceptional value"), the AI has nothing to work with. Specific, factual, structured information wins.
The checkout flow you spent months optimising? Less relevant. The AI handles checkout. What matters is whether your product data is complete and accurate.
What doesn't change:
Your website still matters. It's where the product data lives. It's where customers go if they want more detail. It's still your brand home.
You're still the Merchant of Record. You process the transaction. You own the customer data. You handle fulfilment and returns.
Customer service still matters. AI agents can handle common questions, but complex issues still escalate to humans.
Your brand still matters. The AI will favour clear, trustworthy sources with good reviews and accurate information.
The shift you need to understand:
You're moving from "drive traffic to my website" to "make my product data AI-readable."
You're moving from "optimise my checkout funnel" to "optimise my product feed."
You're moving from "SEO for human searchers" to "SEO for AI agents."
It's not that one replaces the other. It's that both matter now.
The Technical Requirements (Explained for Humans)
If UCP were available in South Africa today, here's what you'd need to have in place.
Google Merchant Center account
You need an active Merchant Center account in good standing with all your products approved for free listings. If you're not already on Google Shopping, start there.
Complete product data
This isn't optional anymore. Every product needs:
- Accurate pricing
- Clear product descriptions (specific, not vague marketing copy)
- High-quality images
- Inventory status
- Shipping information
- Return policy details
New UCP-specific attributes
Google has introduced new product feed attributes specifically for UCP:
native_commerce
– Set to TRUE to opt products into agentic checkout
consumer_notice
– Required for regulated products
merchant_item_id
– Required if your feed ID differs from your checkout API product ID
product_fee
– For state-mandated fees
API endpoints
This is the technical bit. You (or your developer) need to implement five API endpoints that handle:
- Creating a checkout session
- Retrieving session details
- Updating session information (address, shipping, payment)
- Completing the order with payment token
- Cancelling a session
Google provides reference implementations in Python and Node.js. If you're on Shopify, this is handled natively through their admin panel. If you're on WooCommerce or a custom build, you'll need development work.
The approval process: UCP integration isn't self-service at launch. You need to join a waitlist and get Google approval. Merchants can express interest at Google's support portal, but actual access is controlled.
How to Prepare Right Now (Even Though UCP Isn't Available Yet)
You have 6 to 9 months before this becomes available in South Africa. Here's what you should be doing in that window.
Audit your Google Merchant Center account
If you don't have one, create it. If you do, make sure all your products are approved for free listings. Fix any disapprovals. Get your account into good standing.
Clean up your product data
Go through your product catalogue and ask: "If an AI read this, would it understand what I'm selling?"
Vague: "Premium leather wallet with exceptional craftsmanship"
Specific: "Full-grain Italian leather bifold wallet, 11cm × 9cm, 8 card slots, RFID blocking, available in black and brown"
Fix your return policy and customer support information
These are mandatory for UCP. Make sure they're complete, accurate, and easy to find on your website. The AI needs to be able to extract this information.
If you're on Shopify, pay attention
Shopify co-developed UCP and has native integration coming through "Agentic Storefronts" in the admin panel. You'll likely be among the first to get access once international rollout begins.
If you're on WooCommerce, start planning
WooCommerce has no official UCP support announced yet. You have two options: wait for official support, or plan for custom API development when UCP becomes available in SA. Don't rebuild your entire site on Shopify just because of UCP.
Test what AI says about your products
Open ChatGPT or Google's AI Mode. Ask: "Where can I buy [your product category] in South Africa?" Does your business come up? Is the information accurate?
Frequently Asked Questions
When will UCP actually be available in South Africa?
Google hasn't announced a specific date. Based on recent AI feature rollout patterns (AI Mode reached SA 2-5 months after US launch), a realistic estimate is Q3-Q4 2026—roughly 6 to 9 months from now.
Do I need to rebuild my entire website?
No. UCP doesn't replace your website. It makes your product data accessible to AI agents. Focus on cleaning up your product information and ensuring your Merchant Center account is in good standing.
What if I'm on WooCommerce and Shopify has better support?
Don't panic and rebuild everything on Shopify just because of UCP. Focus on optimising your existing product data. Monitor WooCommerce announcements. When UCP support arrives (either through official integration or plugins), you'll be ready.
Will this kill my website traffic?
Not necessarily. Some purchases will happen through AI agents without users visiting your site, but your website remains the source of product information and the destination for customers who want more detail. Think of it as an additional sales channel, not a replacement.
How much will this cost to implement?
If you're on Shopify, native integration should be included. If you're on WooCommerce or a custom platform, you'll need developer time to build API endpoints. The cost will vary based on complexity, but the reference implementations Google provides should reduce development time significantly.
What happens to my customer data if purchases happen through Google?
You remain the Merchant of Record. You own the customer data. You process the transaction. Google facilitates checkout but doesn't intermediate the sale.
Can I opt out of UCP if I don't want AI agents selling my products?
Yes. The native_commerce attribute in your product feed is what opts products into agentic checkout. You can control this at the product level.
What We're Doing at DiginamiX
We're monitoring UCP rollout closely and preparing South African e-commerce businesses for this shift.
If you're running an online store and you're not sure whether your product data is AI-ready, or if you need help getting your Merchant Center account optimised before UCP arrives, that's exactly the kind of work we do.
Get in TouchThe Bottom Line
Google's Universal Commerce Protocol isn't a distant future thing. It's live in the US right now. It's coming to South Africa in the next 6 to 9 months based on Google's recent rollout patterns.
When it arrives, businesses with clean product data, accurate inventory, and proper Merchant Center configuration will adapt quickly. Those without will find themselves invisible to the AI agents increasingly mediating consumer purchases.
You don't need to panic. You don't need to rebuild your entire website. You don't need to become an AI expert.
You just need to make sure your product information is accurate, structured, and complete. Because in a world where AI agents are doing the shopping, the businesses that win will be the ones the AI can understand.
The infrastructure is being built right now. The question is whether you'll be ready to plug into it when it goes live.
