Australian online retailers The Iconic and Kogan are helping shape Google's Universal Commerce Protocol, a new framework designed to make product data more accessible to artificial intelligence, according to a report by Inside Retail Asia.
The protocol embeds structured product attributes such as size, color, and availability directly into web pages, allowing AI assistants to process and present items in conversational interactions. This shift moves shopping beyond traditional keyword searches toward natural language queries like "find a red dress under $50."
As retailers adopt these tools, they are effectively training AI to understand inventory in real time, potentially reducing friction in online shopping and opening new channels for discovery. The development signals a broader industry move toward AI-native commerce infrastructure.