In a rare Sunday launch, Google announced new AI Mode ads named Direct Offers. Google also announced branded AI agents and a new open standard for agentic commerce it calls Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP).
Direct Offers Ads in AI Mode
One of the last announcements in the list was a new AI Mode ad format named Direct Offers. Google said this is a new "Google Ads pilot allows advertisers to present exclusive offers for shoppers who are ready to buy — like a special 20% off discount — directly in AI Mode."
When you do a search that shows some products, Google Ads may offer the searcher a promotion and discount to checkout now. "Now relevant retailers have an opportunity to also feature a special discount. This helps you get better value and helps the retailer close the sale," Google wrote.
With Direct Offers, retailers set up relevant offers they want to feature in their campaign settings and Google will use AI to determine when an offer is relevant to display.
Google said they are initially focusing on discounts for the pilot and will expand to support the creation of offers with other attributes that help shoppers prioritize value over price alone, such as bundles and free shipping.
Here is how it looks:
Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, wrote on X:
(1) Direct Offers works alongside PMax and Standard Shopping campaigns. It currently serves in a specific product view to drive incremental conversions.
(2) You don't need to guess who needs a discount with rules-based offers. Google will use AI to determine when it’s best to display the offer based on shopper intent and market context, helping you close the sale with high-intent shoppers.
(3) The AI will never "invent" a deal. The system relies strictly on your verified Merchant Center feed and the specific promo codes you upload.
Universal Commerce Protocol
The big news is that Google announced Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). UCP is "a new open standard for agentic commerce that works across the entire shopping journey," Google wrote. It basically lets you more effortlessly connect your ecommerce store with agents to have the AI agents checkout with your site.
"Instead of requiring unique connections for every individual agent, UCP enables all agents to interact easily. UCP is built to work across verticals and is compatible with existing industry protocols like Agent2Agent (A2A), Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and Model Context Protocol (MCP)," Google explained.
UCP will soon power a new checkout feature on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, allowing shoppers to check out from eligible U.S. retailers right as they are researching on Google's AI experiences. This works with Google Pay and soon will work with PayPal and then more payment methods.
Google kind of showed this off last November but here is a video of it in action:
Here are the technical details on how this works.
Business Agent - Branded AI Agents
Finally, Google also announced Business Agent, branded AI Agents - I wrote about that in more detail over here.
UCP is endorsed by 20+ industry leaders, compatible with A2A, and available starting today. Read more about UCP and everything we announced at @NRFBigShow: https://t.co/b32sPEacZ3
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) January 11, 2026
Just announced today at #NRF2026: we’re introducing new agentic AI innovation to make shopping more seamless. Real, helpful tools that make the entire shopping journey easier for both shoppers and retailers. This is just the beginning. 🧵 1/4 pic.twitter.com/lE1x3K7sNa
— Vidhya Srinivasan (@VidsSrinivasan) January 11, 2026
Forum discussion at X.
