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

Ulta Beauty Deploys Google-Powered AI Assistant and Agentic Commerce | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. These shopping experiences will be enabled by solutions launched by Ulta Beauty and powered by Google's Gemini, the companies said in a Wednesday (April 22) press release. In one new offering, Ulta Beauty is set to launch agentic commerce across Google surfaces, including AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app. This will be rolled out over the next month, making the Ulta Beauty assortment shoppable within these surfaces. With this agentic commerce experience, shoppers can receive product recommendations, compare options and complete checkout for eligible purchases within Google's conversational interfaces. The experience will be powered by Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), the open standard for agentic commerce, according to the release. The other new offering announced Wednesday is a new AI shopping assistant called Ulta AI that is now available on Ulta.com and will soon be added to the Ulta Beauty App. Ulta AI leverages insights from the beauty retailer's 46 million members to provide shoppers with personalized guidance as they navigate the digital assortment. This AI shopping assistant was built with Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, per the release. Google introduced Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience in January, describing it as a platform designed to help retailers deploy AI agents that can support shopping, ordering and customer service across digital channels. The tech giant also debuted the Universal Commerce Protocol in January, saying this agentic commerce standard is designed to "work across the entire shopping journey." PYMNTS reported Wednesday that beauty giants are racing to own the AI shopping moment. They are doing so because the discovery layer is shifting from owned retail surfaces to third-party AI interfaces, according to the report. Ulta Beauty said in March that AI contributed to the retailer's better-than-planned financial performance in the fourth quarter. AI in Ulta Beauty's automated marketing engine added to the company's gains by enabling personalization that provided customers with content that was relevant, dynamic and timely, Ulta Beauty President and CEO Kecia Steelman said during an earnings call.

Ulta Beauty and Google Introduce Gemini-Enabled Shopping Experiences That Streamline Beauty Discovery and Purchase

Ulta Beauty and Google today announced two new Gemini-enabled innovations designed to make beauty shopping more seamless, personalized and intuitive across digital touchpoints. As beauty discovery increasingly shifts to AI-powered experiences, Ulta Beauty is expanding how guests discover, compare and shop for products?both across Ulta Beauty's own digital properties and Google surfaces. Ulta Beauty is rolling out agentic commerce within AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app over the next month. Through this new experience, shoppers can receive Ulta Beauty product recommendations, compare options and complete streamlined checkout for eligible purchases directly within Google's conversational interfaces. Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), the new open standard for agentic commerce, helps power the experience across AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app. Ulta Beauty has been an early collaborator with Google in exploring how this emerging commerce model can work for beauty ? a category where ease of discovery, confidence, and trust matter deeply. By combining Google's AI capabilities with Ulta Beauty's category authority, curated assortment and omnichannel experience, the future of beauty shopping is being shaped in ways that are practical, personalized and guest-centered. On its own digital properties ? available on Ulta.com and rolling out soon to the Ulta Beauty App ? the retailer is launching Ulta AI, a new AI shopping assistant built on Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. Leveraging insights from Ulta Beauty's 46+ million members, Ulta AI provides more personalized guidance to guests as they shop, helping them navigate Ulta Beauty's expansive digital assortment with greater confidence, discover products, and explore recommendations with ease. This technology complements the in-store expertise of Ulta Beauty associates, who play a critical role in helping guests find the right products for their needs.