Ulta Beauty adds Google AI shopping tools for customers

Ulta Beauty has launched new shopping tools with Google, adding product discovery and checkout features across Google interfaces and a new assistant on its own platforms.

Shoppers will be able to get Ulta Beauty product recommendations, compare options and complete checkout for eligible purchases within AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app. On Ulta.com, and later in the Ulta Beauty app, the retailer is also introducing Ulta AI, an in-house shopping assistant built with Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience.

The move reflects a broader shift in online retail as search, recommendation and purchasing functions become embedded in conversational AI products. For Ulta Beauty, it extends the retailer's digital sales strategy beyond its own website and app into Google's consumer-facing services.

Ulta Beauty's assortment will become shoppable across Google surfaces through agentic commerce. The setup uses the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard designed to support transactions within AI-led interfaces.

Lauren Brindley, Chief Merchandising and Digital Officer at Ulta Beauty, said the rollout responds to changing customer behaviour.

"Ulta Beauty has always been about inspiring guests' discovery through trusted expertise and curated choice," said Lauren Brindley, Chief Merchandising and Digital Officer, Ulta Beauty. "Now, we're extending that same strength into AI-powered shopping experiences, making beauty discovery more seamless, personalized and shoppable wherever it happens."

Google described the retailer's use of the protocol as an early example of how merchants can integrate shopping functions directly into AI conversations. The goal is to let customers move from product exploration to purchase without leaving the interaction.

"Agentic AI has great potential to make online shopping easier for everyone, at every stage in the shopping journey - and Ulta Beauty's implementation of the Universal Commerce Protocol is a vital step toward that future," said Ashish Gupta, Vice President and General Manager of Merchant Shopping, Google. "By integrating UCP, Ulta Beauty is removing friction and helping their customers purchase right at the moment of discovery in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app."

AI assistant

On its own digital properties, Ulta Beauty is using customer data from its loyalty base to shape how Ulta AI responds to shoppers. The tool draws on insights from more than 46 million members to offer more tailored guidance across its online assortment.

The retailer positioned the assistant as a complement to in-store staff, not a replacement. Ulta Beauty associates remain central to product advice in stores, while the digital assistant is designed to help customers navigate products and recommendations online.

Mike Maresca, Chief Technology and Transformation Officer at Ulta Beauty, said the company moved early to test this model.

"Ulta Beauty engaged early with UCP because we see a clear shift in how guests are discovering and shopping for beauty, with AI playing a much bigger role in that journey," said Mike Maresca, Chief Technology and Transformation Officer, Ulta Beauty. "We believe AI has the potential to elevate personalization to a new level and in partnership with Google, we're helping turn that potential into experiences that better serve our guests."

Google Cloud also cast the launch as a sign of how retailers are trying to connect customer intent with product selection in fewer steps. It said conversational shopping tools can reduce reliance on conventional search filters.

"Ulta Beauty is setting a new benchmark for the industry, ensuring they meet guests with helpful, personalized experiences wherever discovery begins," said Darshan Kantak, Vice President, Applied AI, Google Cloud. "Our shopping agent connects the breadcrumbs of intent and inspiration to guide the customer journey. It skips traditional search filters and helps shoppers connect directly with products they love, providing a fast, tailored experience from discovery to checkout. By threading these moments together, every interaction becomes more meaningful and delightful for the consumer."

Retail shift

Ulta Beauty is the largest specialty beauty retailer in the US, with more than 1,500 stores, and has built a large loyalty programme that gives it a significant pool of customer data to support product recommendations. That gives the company a basis for testing AI-led shopping in a category where shade, skin type, ingredient preferences and brand familiarity often shape purchasing decisions.

The agreement with Google also highlights the risk and opportunity retailers face in handing more of the customer journey to external platforms. AI assistants could open another route to purchase, but they also place discovery and comparison within systems controlled by large technology companies.

Maresca said the latest work would feed into broader digital changes across the company's systems.

"The next era of commerce will be shaped by how well retailers turn AI into practical, scalable capabilities," said Maresca. "By combining Gemini Enterprise with Ulta Beauty's data, systems and commerce infrastructure, we're creating a more agile platform to innovate faster and scale new experiences across our digital ecosystem."