Ulta Beauty and Google launch AI shopping assistant powered by Gemini across digital platforms

Ulta Beauty Introduces AI Shopping Assistant Powered by Google's Gemini

Ulta Beauty has announced a strategic partnership with Google to deploy two Gemini-enabled shopping experiences that aim to reshape how consumers discover and purchase beauty products across digital touchpoints 1

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. The beauty retailer is rolling out Ulta AI, an AI shopping assistant available now on Ulta.com and soon on the Ulta Beauty App, built using Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. This assistant leverages insights from Ulta Beauty's 46 million members to deliver personalized product recommendations and guidance as shoppers navigate the retailer's extensive digital assortment 1

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Agentic Commerce Transforms Beauty Discovery and Purchase

The partnership introduces agentic commerce across Google surfaces, including AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, set to roll out over the next month 2

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. This implementation allows shoppers to receive Ulta Beauty product recommendations, compare options, and complete checkout for eligible purchases directly within Google's conversational interfaces. The experience is powered by Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), described as the open standard for agentic commerce, making the Ulta Beauty assortment shoppable within these AI-driven surfaces 1

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. This marks a significant shift in how beauty discovery occurs, moving from traditional owned retail surfaces to third-party AI interfaces.

Strategic Positioning in AI-Driven Retail Landscape

The collaboration positions Ulta Beauty as an early mover in exploring how agentic commerce can work specifically for the beauty category, where discovery, confidence, and trust are critical factors 2

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. Google introduced both Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience and the Universal Commerce Protocol in January, with the platform designed to help beauty retailer brands deploy AI agents that support shopping, ordering, and customer service across digital channels 1

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. Ulta Beauty President and CEO Kecia Steelman previously noted during a March earnings call that AI contributed to better-than-planned financial performance in the fourth quarter, with AI in the automated marketing engine enabling personalized marketing that delivered relevant, dynamic, and timely content to customers 1

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Implications for the Digital Shopping Experience

The deployment of these Gemini-enabled shopping experiences signals a broader transformation in retail, where the discovery layer is shifting from traditional e-commerce platforms to AI-powered conversational interfaces. By combining Google's AI capabilities with Ulta Beauty's category authority and curated assortment, the partnership creates a digital shopping experience that aims to be practical, personalized, and guest-centered 2

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. The technology is designed to complement rather than replace the in-store expertise of Ulta Beauty associates, who continue to play a critical role in helping customers find appropriate products. As beauty giants race to own the AI shopping moment, Ulta Beauty's early adoption of agentic commerce and AI-powered personalization positions the retailer to capture consumer attention at the critical discovery phase, potentially reshaping competitive dynamics in the beauty retail sector.