What changed (and why it matters right now)

• Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) is rolling out across AI surfaces like AI Mode and Gemini, enabling agents to read structured commerce data and complete checkout flows.
• Alexa.com puts assistant interactions on the web—turning assistant requests into a measurable acquisition channel alongside search, social, and ads.
• Winners will be the brands that expose clean product data, policies, inventory, and simple action endpoints that agents can trust.

The good news: you can meaningfully de‑risk your visibility in 72 hours with targeted fixes. Below is a copy‑paste‑friendly checklist.

The 72‑Hour UCP Readiness Checklist

1) Patch your schema (Product, Offer, Shipping, Returns)

Agents prioritize merchants that publish complete, machine‑readable policies and logistics. Add or update the following in your product templates:

• hasMerchantReturnPolicy using MerchantReturnPolicy
• offers.shippingDetails using OfferShippingDetails
• Reliable identifiers: sku, gtin or mpn, brand
• Accurate price/availability, and delivery windows (ShippingDeliveryTime)

{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Acme Split Leather Tote",
"sku": "TOTE-001",
"gtin": "0001234567895",
"brand": {"@type": "Brand", "name": "Acme"},
"image": ["https://example.com/images/tote.jpg"],
"description": "Premium split leather tote with zip pocket.",
"offers": {
  "@type": "Offer",
  "price": "129.00",
  "priceCurrency": "USD",
  "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
  "url": "https://example.com/products/tote",
  "shippingDetails": {
    "@type": "OfferShippingDetails",
    "shippingDestination": {
      "@type": "DefinedRegion",
      "addressCountry": "US"
    },
    "shippingRate": {
      "@type": "MonetaryAmount",
      "value": "0.00",
      "currency": "USD"
    },
    "deliveryTime": {
      "@type": "ShippingDeliveryTime",
      "handlingTime": {"@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 0, "maxValue": 1, "unitCode": "d"},
      "transitTime": {"@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 2, "maxValue": 5, "unitCode": "d"}
    }
  }
},
"hasMerchantReturnPolicy": {
  "@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy",
  "returnPolicyCategory": "https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow",
  "merchantReturnDays": 30,
  "returnMethod": "https://schema.org/ReturnByMail",
  "returnFees": "https://schema.org/FreeReturn",
  "returnShippingFeesAmount": {"@type": "MonetaryAmount", "value": "0.00", "currency": "USD"}
}
}

Pro tip: If your theme hardcodes schema, patch the product JSON‑LD in your product template (e.g., main-product.liquid). If you use an SEO app, ensure it exposes the new fields rather than overwriting them.

2) Fix Merchant Center diagnostics and feeds

• Clear warnings for returns and shipping by aligning your product feed with your on‑page JSON‑LD.
• Declare return windows, methods, and fees consistently (site, feed, and policy page).
• Use accurate inventory and availability codes; stale inventory erodes agent trust quickly.

3) Add a lightweight “Action API” for agents

You don’t need a whole new backend to let assistants check stock, add to cart, or start checkout. Ship one or more minimal endpoints within a weekend:

• GET /api/agents/products/{id} → returns price, availability, delivery window
• POST /api/agents/cart → accepts SKU, qty, variant; returns cart link or checkout token
• POST /api/agents/subscribe → email/SMS back‑in‑stock or price‑drop alerts

Map responses to clear, documented fields. When assistants can hit predictable endpoints, they can complete tasks and attribute conversions.

Need a blueprint? See our guide: Ship an Assistant Action API in a Weekend.

4) Optimize for Assistant App Store Optimization (AASO)

Assistants increasingly rank merchants based on structured clarity, fulfillment reliability, and reviews—not just keywords. Tune your titles, facets, and answers for conversational selection:

• Craft product titles that match natural requests: “vegan leather tote under $150, 2‑day shipping”.
• Answer top objections in spec bullets: materials, care, returns, shipping speed.
• Aggregate recent reviews and expose a ratingValue and reviewCount in schema.

Deep dive here: Assistant App Store Optimization (AASO).

5) Add assistant attribution from day one

Tag and measure assistant‑sourced sessions and conversions so you can defend budget and iterate fast:

• Create a distinct UTM medium/source set for assistants (e.g., utm_source=assistant&utm_medium=gemini).
• Use server‑side events for completed checkouts (purchase) mapped to assistant tokens.
• Log endpoint hits by assistant channel to reconcile with analytics.

Implementation patterns: Assistant Attribution 101.

6) Prepare a quick Alexa.com presence

With Alexa on the web, you can treat assistant discovery more like SEO than voice skills. Priorities this week:

• Ensure your brand query returns a clear, assistant‑friendly landing page (shipping, returns, top SKUs).
• Publish a concise “How we help via assistants” section with links to popular actions (e.g., start a cart, track an order, book a fitting).
• Expose store hours, service area, and contact methods via Organization schema.

See our 72‑hour plan: Alexa.com Is Live: Your 72‑Hour Founder Playbook.

QA your changes in under an hour

1. Run a structured data test on a product page; verify hasMerchantReturnPolicy and shippingDetails are present and valid.
2. Refresh your product in Merchant Center; confirm warnings clear within a few hours.
3. Hit your new Action API endpoints with a test token; confirm responses include price, availability, delivery window, and a checkout path.
4. Check analytics for assistant UTMs and server‑side events; validate that attribution strings persist through checkout.

Example: turning a generic product page into an agent‑ready page

Start with your top 10 SKUs by revenue. For each, ensure the page shows:

• Answer to the intent: a one‑sentence value prop that mirrors how shoppers ask assistants (e.g., “Under $150, ships in 2 days”).
• Trust anchors: explicit return window, warranty, and support channel.
• Logistics clarity: live stock, delivery ETA, pickup options if relevant.
• Structured mirrors reality: your JSON‑LD reflects exactly what’s on the page.

Roadmap: the next 14–30 days

• Week 1–2: Expand schema coverage to all SKUs; add multi‑region shippingDetails. Automate feeds to sync with schema.
• Week 2–3: Harden Action API (auth, rate limiting, idempotency). Add order‑status endpoint for post‑purchase support.
• Week 3–4: Publish assistant‑specific landing pages (gift finder, size guide) and test conversational funnels.

If you’re weighing where to build first across channels, this comparison can help: Where Founders Should Build First After CES.

Bottom line

Agentic shopping compresses the gap between “I want it” and “It’s on the way.” Your first job is making your store legible and reliable to assistants. Ship the schema patch, clear diagnostics, publish a minimal Action API, and tag attribution. Do that in 72 hours, and you’ll protect today’s visibility while setting up tomorrow’s growth on Alexa.com and beyond.

Get hands‑on help

If you want this implemented for you, our team can ship the schema patch, feed hardening, and Action API in days—not weeks.

Try HireNinja or check HireNinja pricing. We’ll prioritize UCP compliance, assistant attribution, and Alexa.com discoverability for your top SKUs.