Google is automatically turning on direct-purchase checkout for eligible products in Merchant Center. Here's what changed and why you might want to turn it off.
Google just flipped a switch on your product listings. The company is auto-enabling native checkout in Merchant Center for eligible products, meaning shoppers can now buy directly from Google's surfaces, Search, Gemini, and AI Mode, without ever visiting your site. If that's not your sales strategy, you need to act.
Google is notifying Merchant Center users whose ecommerce platforms support Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) that "your products are now eligible for native checkout." This is automatic. If your platform qualifies, Google has already flipped the switch.
That means your products are now set up for checkout on Google's own surfaces. A shopper searching for your product on Google, or asking Gemini where to buy it, can complete the purchase right there without landing on your store.
Native checkout on Google gives you visibility and convenience, it removes friction from the buying path. But it also means customer data, email addresses, and purchase history flow through Google's systems, not yours. You lose the direct relationship and the ability to market to them on your own terms.
For owners who rely on site traffic for conversion metrics, customer segmentation, and follow-up campaigns, this default shift is a problem. You're now competing with Google's own checkout experience.
Only ecommerce platforms that support Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) are eligible. If your platform is one of them, Google has already sent you an email. Check your Merchant Center notifications to confirm whether your shop is in scope.
This is part of Google's broader push to embed shopping directly into Search, Gemini, and other surfaces. The goal is convenience for shoppers and data for Google. The cost to you is control over where transactions happen and who owns the customer record.
This change is automatic, but your response doesn't have to be reactive. Audit your settings now and make the choice that fits your business, not Google's default.
How WebKing runs this
We flag these auto-enablements for clients because the default behavior now routes revenue away from your own checkout, where you own the customer data and upsell opportunity. We make sure you're intentional about which products skip your site and which ones land there.
Yes, Google is auto-enabling native checkout for eligible products if your ecommerce platform supports Universal Commerce Protocol. You need to manually turn it off in Merchant Center if you want shoppers to visit your site instead.
The source specifies that only platforms supporting Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) are eligible. Check your Merchant Center notifications to see if your platform is on the list.
Native checkout on Google means the transaction happens on Google's surface, so customer relationship data and follow-up control stays with Google unless you have a data-sharing agreement in place. This is a reason many owners prefer to keep traffic on their own site.
Google is sending email notifications to affected Merchant Center accounts. Log in to Merchant Center and look for the native checkout settings, you can disable it there if you want all traffic routed to your own checkout instead.
Sources
The Lab is original analysis by WebKing. We summarize and interpret developments from the sources above for industrial, commercial, and small business owners. Figures are reported as published by their sources.
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