Two weeks ago, the retail tech world lit up with news of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) — a partnership between Shopify and Google that promises to reshape how AI agents interact with online stores, which followed OpenAI's earlier Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP).
The initial reactions are over, we're past the hot takes. Now comes the harder part — making sense of what UCP actually means and what consumer brands need to do in 2026 to stay competitive.
The gap between knowing and doing
There's always been a disconnect in retail AI adoption — between industry buzzwords and ground-level strategy, between conceptual potential and operational reality. Awareness of AI in retail has never been higher, but organizational readiness lags far behind the pace of change.
Retail leaders know consumers are already using AI agents to discover, browse, and buy. They know agentic commerce is coming. What they don't always know is how to get there, what infrastructure they need, or which tools will actually work when AI agents ask questions.
What UCP actually changes
With the introduction of UCP, Google and Shopify are accelerating agentic commerce in 2026, and AI agents are truly becoming a structured interface for discovery and shopping. UCP lets AI agents connect with retailers to browse products, manage carts, apply discounts, access loyalty programs, and complete checkout across millions of retailers and billions of transactions. Add to that delivery options, payment methods and rules that differ based on properties of the cart, customer, and region.
Why most brands struggle with delivery
Let’s consider delivery. Just as in traditional browser-based shopping, customers want delivery times they can trust and options they can choose with ease. Brands offering multiple delivery options see an average 27% increase in checkout conversions, yet if a package arrives late, one in three consumers blame the brand, not the shipping carrier.
Now add AI agents into the mix. When they compared 2-3 retailers for the same product, and one can promise delivery by Tuesday while the other says '3-5 business days,' which do you think will get the sale?
When they ask "When will this product arrive?", the question every shopping interaction will include, retailers need to provide an answer the agent can trust. That means dynamic, accurate delivery promises that account for real-time inventory, carrier capacity, customer location, and dozens of other variables.
How to get ready for AI and agentic commerce
Ingrid's Delivery API already supports OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which means delivery options from Ingrid can be used directly in AI-powered checkout experiences. It's a step toward universal checkout interoperability where Ingrid powers both traditional and agentic commerce.
Better yet, the checkout dynamically predicts delivery times for every order using AI models trained on both historical and real-time fulfillment data. Because predictions are more precise than static rules, retailers no longer need to add extra days ‘just to be safe’, especially during peak season.
For retailers, this leads to higher checkout conversion, fewer delivery related support cases, and less time spent managing delivery promises. For shoppers, it means knowing when an order will arrive and being able to plan around it.
Building for tomorrow
Agentic commerce is moving fast. UCP just accelerated adoption, and consumer brands need infrastructure that can keep up. The agentic checkout capabilities by Ingrid are ready, and we'll continue adapting our solutions to match the pace of change. As AI agents become the primary shopping interface for millions of consumers, delivery will be a critical factor in every AI-assisted purchasing decision.
Ingrid makes delivery a competitive advantage, not just a cost. We help retailers optimize delivery options at checkout, grow conversion and shipping revenue, and streamline returns.
