Google and Walmart are building infrastructure for AI-assisted purchases, while Meta says Muse can compare products, as retailers weigh control of customer data and advertising.
Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) on Jan. 11, saying the standard, developed with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, would let AI agents work with commerce systems for product discovery, purchases and support after a sale. The company said a shared technical framework could spare merchants from building a separate integration for each agent. In a Mar. 19 update, Google outlined optional functions to connect customer identities to loyalty benefits, retrieve product variants, inventory and prices, and assemble carts with multiple items. For its announced checkout feature, Google said retailers would remain the seller of record.
Meta said its Muse assistant became available in Singapore on Oct. 27. The tool can research products and compare prices before shoppers buy through Shopee or Lazada, according to Meta. The company says Muse prompts users before sensitive actions such as making a purchase.
On Oct. 21, Walmart said it was building its Walmart Agent Gateway, with an initial beta for companies and developers. In the same announcement, it said Agent Profiles were planned for November and would let shoppers approve every purchase or set a spending cap. Walmart gave $50, $100 and $200 as examples of limits.
Retailers are weighing broader reach against control of advertising and customer data. Reuters reported Nov. 4 that retailers were concerned AI agents could weaken ad revenue and the customer-data advantages tied to their own websites. Amie Owen, chief client officer at Flywheel, told Reuters, “We are not recommending that clients fundamentally shift their retail media budgets overnight.”
The Bangkok Post reported Nov. 12 that Muse was expected to reach Thailand in early 2027, citing Thanawat Malabuppha, Priceza chief executive and honorary president of the Thai E-Commerce Association. Thanawat said agents could give merchants another sales channel and help shoppers compare products. Meta's public announcement covered Singapore and gave no Thailand date.
