Ulta Beauty and Google have announced a partnership focused on artificial intelligence (AI), making the retailer’s products available for purchase through Gemini’s agentic commerce functionality.
Google and Ulta have announced two key AI offerings together. The first is agentic commerce in Google’s AI Mode, which it has embedded in its search interface and within Gemini. The second is Ulta AI, an artificial intelligence shopping agent, or assistant.
“Agentic AI has great potential to make online shopping easier for everyone,” said Ashish Gupta, vice president and general manager of Merchant Shopping at Google, in the announcement.
Gupta said Ulta Beauty is “removing friction” by integrating Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP, to facilitate the agentic commerce in AI Mode.
The UCP is an open standard Google co-developed with Shopify. It determines how agentic AI and ecommerce platforms can interact. In late March, Shopify made its brands shoppable inside ChatGPT.
Ulta Beauty is 37th in the Top 2000 Database. The database ranks North America’s largest online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales and more.
How Ulta and Google are offering agentic commerce functionality
The companies said they are rolling out agentic commerce within Google AI Mode over the next month.
That functionality will allow consumers to search for and purchase from Ulta Beauty through Google AI Mode, amounting to an example of agentic commerce. The companies said consumers can use conversations with Google’s interfaces to:
- Receive product recommendations.
- Compare options.
- Complete checkout for eligible purchases.
Google referred to Ulta Beauty as “an early collaborator” in the announcement. The retailer has helped Google “in exploring how this emerging commerce model can work for beauty,” the announcement said.
Lauren Brindley, chief merchandising and digital officer at Ulta Beauty, said in the announcement that the retailer seeks to inspire product discovery “through trusted expertise and curated choice.”
“Now, we’re extending that same strength into AI-powered shopping experiences, making beauty discovery more seamless, personalized and shoppable wherever it happens,” Brindley said.
Mike Maresca, chief technology and transformation officer at Ulta Beauty, said the retailer “engaged early with UCP.”
“We see a clear shift in how guests are discovering and shopping for beauty, with AI playing a much bigger role in that journey,” Maresca said. “We believe AI has the potential to elevate personalization to a new level.”
Google helps develop Ulta AI
Ulta Beauty has launched Ulta AI on its website, ulta.com. It plans to roll out the tool on its mobile app as well, according to the announcement.
The companies described Ulta AI as a shopping assistant, or agent, that they built using Google’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. They said it leverages insights from Ulta Beauty’s more than 46 million loyalty members.
Ulta AI provides personalized shopping guidance. The companies said that includes helping consumers navigate Ulta’s product catalog to discover items. It also includes product recommendations from the AI assistant.
“The next era of commerce will be shaped by how well retailers turn AI into practical, scalable capabilities,” Maresca said. “By combining Gemini Enterprise with Ulta Beauty’s data, systems and commerce infrastructure, we’re creating a more agile platform to innovate faster and scale new experiences across our digital ecosystem.”
Darshan Kantak, vice president of applied AI for Google Cloud, described Ulta’s partnership as “setting a new benchmark for the industry.”
“Our shopping agent connects the breadcrumbs of intent and inspiration to guide the customer journey,” Kantak said. “It skips traditional search filters and helps shoppers connect directly with products they love, providing a fast, tailored experience from discovery to checkout. By threading these moments together, every interaction becomes more meaningful and delightful for the consumer.”
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