Web news: Google Universal Cart, Shopify Shop MCP, Firefox 158 and WooCommerce 11.2

This week had one clear theme: shopping is moving to where people search, into Google Search and AI assistants. For online stores that means product data has to be readable by machines, not just look good on the site. Two updates also landed that every store owner should check.

Google Universal Cart: one cart for many stores

On 15 October Google launched Universal Cart in the US, in Google Search (through AI Mode) and in the Gemini app. Shoppers add products from different retailers to one cart and pick up later where they left off. The cart draws on Google's Shopping Graph of more than 60 billion listings, alerts shoppers to price drops and items back in stock, shows promo codes and suggests the card with the best benefits from Google Wallet.

Checkout works in two ways: with Google Pay in a few taps, or by moving the items into the merchant's own cart. The merchant stays the seller and handles order confirmation and customer support. It all runs on the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). Early merchants include Nike, Sephora, Target, Walmart, Wayfair and many Shopify stores. According to PPC Land, Canada and Australia have moved to 2027, and no date has been given for Europe.

Shopify: shopping through AI agents and a new Hydrogen

On 13 October Shopify released Shop MCP, a server through which any AI agent can search the Shopify catalog of more than a billion products, build carts and complete checkout with Shop Pay. A purchase only goes through after the shopper confirms the total and payment method, and the order shows up in the Shopify admin like any other.

On 14 October Hydrogen 2026-10 followed. Hydrogen is now a library that works with any JavaScript framework, with starters for React Router and Next.js. Existing Hydrogen storefronts keep working with no required changes. One deadline matters for businesses with custom integrations: the Global Catalog REST API stops serving traffic on 2 November 2026, and the replacement is Global Catalog MCP.

Firefox 158: JPEG XL and passkey sign-in

Mozilla released Firefox 158 on 13 October. The browser now displays JPEG XL images, scrolls more smoothly, and Smart Window is gradually gaining form-fill suggestions. For developers: passkey (WebAuthn) suggestions now appear on fields with autocomplete='webauthn' alone. The release also includes security fixes.

WooCommerce 11.2: update your store

WooCommerce 11.2 shipped on 7 October and the 11.2.1 fix release on 9 October, which is now the stable version. The team's release notes say all stores should update because of security fixes: download links for digital products, password reset emails and shop manager permissions are better protected. The CSV importer now matches products by GTIN, EAN, UPC or ISBN, and checkout gains date fields. If you use the PublishPress Future plugin, update it to 4.10.4 or later first.

What it means for your business

1. Clean up your product data. Agentic shopping relies on accurate prices, stock levels and GTINs. A store with a tidy product feed is ready for Google, Shopify and AI assistants when these features reach more markets.
2. Update WooCommerce now. Security fixes should not wait. Make a backup and check your plugins before you update.
3. Check integrations with deadlines. If your app uses the Shopify Global Catalog REST API, the switch has to be finished before 2 November.

If you want a store that is fast, secure and ready for new sales channels, see our web development service or get in touch.