Shoppers used to face a tough choice. They could buy fast and risk picking the wrong thing, or they could spend hours researching to get it right. Google says that dilemma is now fading away.
This is the era of the super-informed shopper, someone who searches, streams, scrolls and shops all at the same time. AI keeps showing that speed and a well-informed decision can work together. According to Google, it’s a growth moment for both businesses and consumers, one that calls for a fresh game plan. In 2026 the company wants to make shopping smoother, more useful and more personal, so brands can earn trust from the very first interaction.
How YouTube turns influence into real sales
Google calls YouTube the top video platform for content that feels personally relevant. People find new ideas there whether they’re watching Shorts, catching their favorite podcast or following big events like the Olympics. Creators have become the trendsetters viewers trust most. They can also help people move from inspiration to purchase faster.
This year Google plans to build stronger ties between brands and creators. In the US it already launched Open Call, a feature that makes it easier for marketers to hire creators for partnerships. Now the company is taking things further. AI will analyze videos and audiences in depth, then instantly match brands with creator communities likely to love their products. That way a creator’s organic reach can turn into actual revenue.
How ads are changing in the new Google Search
Search isn’t just about typing single keywords anymore. More people brainstorm, snap photos and ask questions the way they’d talk to a friend. Google expects this shift to make Search a much stronger discovery tool in 2026, with ads that inspire while also giving answers. The company isn’t simply dropping ads into its AI features. It’s rethinking what an ad even is.
AI Mode is a good example. It gives businesses fresh ways to show up inside a natural conversation, so last year Google tested ad formats meant to connect inspiration with action. Its research found that AI Mode works better for shoppers when they can easily compare lots of brands and stores side by side.
Right now AI Mode already shows organic shopping suggestions based on what someone is looking for. Google is testing a format that highlights retailers selling those products, clearly labeled as sponsored. Buyers get an easy way to find the right place to purchase, while sellers get a shot at being seen at the moment people weigh their options. Similar tests are happening in other categories, travel among them.
In the US, Google also introduced a way to earn money in AI Mode called Direct Offers. It lets a business show a custom deal to someone who’s ready to buy, closing the sale without changing the price for everyone else. Down the road these offers will go beyond discounts, adding perks like loyalty rewards and product bundles.
The future of agentic commerce
In 2026 agentic commerce, where AI agents shop on your behalf, is moving from idea to reality. Google believes it will reshape the whole buying process, from first spark of interest to final decision, while giving brands new ways to stand out.
The company has two goals here. One is to take the tedious parts out of shopping so people can enjoy the fun parts. The other is to work with the industry on the building blocks that make this kind of shopping smooth and safe.
That’s why Google launched the Agent Payments Protocol, known as AP2, in the US in 2025. It later followed up with the Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP. This standard sets the rules for how businesses deal with AI agents across the entire customer journey, including secure digital payment. Within weeks of launch, hundreds of major tech firms, payment partners and retailers reached out wanting to sign on. Shoppers in the US can already buy items from Etsy and Wayfair right inside AI Mode in Search and in Gemini.
Google sees potential for UCP well beyond retail. It could become the groundwork for a future where every kind of commercial transaction runs through AI agents.
Faster growth with Gemini 3
During big changes like these, businesses need tools that keep up. Google says 2025 packed a decade’s worth of progress into a single year, capped off by Gemini 3, its smartest model so far. Gemini powers the company’s ad tools, so as the models get better, the products improve too, with no extra work for advertisers.
This year those Gemini-powered tools are meant to drive more growth through creative work, stronger performance and real business results.
It all starts with your own ideas. Tools like Nano Banana, along with Veo 3 now available in Google Ads Asset Studio, let marketers bring those ideas to life and produce studio-level assets in minutes. AI becomes a creative partner that works in real time. Adoption is picking up fast. In 2025 advertisers created three times as many Gemini-generated assets, and in the fourth quarter alone Gemini produced close to 70 million creative assets in AI Max and Performance Max. Google calls this the Gemini advantage, running ads where customers are searching and getting a strong return on investment.
Great creatives only work if they show up at the right time, though. AI-powered campaigns help marketers adjust as customer habits change. Last year Google introduced AI Max to boost results and widen the reach of search campaigns. It already connects advertisers with billions of searches they never reached before.
Campaign tools are only as good as the data and measurement behind them. With scattered data and conflicting industry solutions, many companies struggle to see what information they’re missing and where spending makes sense. Google is rebuilding its measurement framework from the ground up so marketers have one central place to check, making sure every decision leads to growth they can actually measure.