The Agentic Handshake: Bridging the Gap Between Browsing and Buying

UCP vs. ACP: The Two Pillars of the Handshake

• Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP): The Discovery Layer. It uses a machine-readable JSON manifest to allow agents to discover your features, endpoints, and payment configurations.

• Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP): The Transaction Layer. ACP (often used interchangeably with the transactional capabilities of UCP/AP2) provides the secure layer for agents to execute payments on a user’s behalf.

Why the Handshake is the New Conversion Funnel

A successful Agentic Handshake collapses the “N x N” integration bottleneck, allowing one standard to work across all AI surfaces.

1. Instant Verification: Agents use UCP to discover business capabilities dynamically via profiles.

2. Autonomous Negotiation: Agents and merchants negotiate capabilities and extensions (like loyalty points) to find a mutually understood result.

3. Seamless Settlement: The transaction is finalized programmatically once the agent reaches a ready_for_complete state.

Key Takeaway: The “Agentic Handshake” is the definitive moment of conversion in 2026. By aligning UCP discovery with ACP transactions, brands move from being a “search result” to a “completed order.”