Google’s latest commerce moves deepen the battle over agentic shopping

If Google’s latest commerce announcements signal anything, it’s that the tech platform wants to own the shopper journey from discovery to purchase.

Last week, Google unveiled Universal Cart, dubbed an “intelligent shopping cart that works across retailers and across services,” including Gemini and search. In theory, a person could add things to their cart whether using Google search, Gemini, YouTube or Gmail. Once a product is added to cart, Universal Cart finds deals and price drops using Gemini models. When the shopper is ready to buy, they can check out using Google Pay.

Universal Cart is just one part of Google’s beefed up Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). UCP is the groundwork that enables agentic shopping within Google’s ecosystem that launched in January. Other bells and whistles include buy-now and pay-later features and loyalty pricing.

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The NBA’s contract with YouTuber Kenny Beecham could be a new blueprint for sports leagues

The NBA is ramping up its bet on creator-led commentary, elevating YouTube basketball star Kenny Beecham to the center of its fan-facing media strategy as it continues to chase younger audiences across digital platforms.

Beecham, who has more than 4.16 million followers on his own channels and has worked with the league for over six years, now fronts an original basketball trivia series, hosts official telecasts and appears on NBA TV — all while remaining an independent creator.

The financial agreement was not disclosed, but the partnership underscores how legacy sports leagues, long built on TV and radio, are increasingly using creator-native formats to reach more fans in more places, and how creators can work with leagues rather than being targeted by them for distribution and branding rights issues.

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