Google Helps Ulta Beauty Offer More Personalized Experiences
Ulta Beauty is building on recent industry momentum as consumers increasingly shift to AI-powered experiences when searching for new products. With its launch across Google surfaces this month, the beauty retailer is hoping to make customers’ shopping experience more seamless and personalized across all of its digital touchpoints.
The retailer recently began offering agentic commerce within AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app, a process that will continue rolling out through May.
Through this experience, shoppers can receive Ulta Beauty product recommendations, compare options and complete streamlined checkout for eligible purchases directly within Google’s conversational interfaces.
“Ulta Beauty has always been about inspiring guests’ discovery through trusted expertise and curated choice,” Lauren Brindley, chief merchandising and digital officer at Ulta Beauty, said in a media release. “Now, we’re extending that same strength into AI-powered shopping experiences, making beauty discovery more seamless, personalized and shoppable wherever it happens.”
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 is partnering with Google to see how this emerging commerce model can work within the beauty industry, where consumers want to find products easily and be able to trust their choices and have confidence using them.
“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, Google’s vice president and general manager of merchant shopping. “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.”
The retailer noticed a major shift in how guests are discovering and shopping for beauty products, incorporating AI throughout the journey, added Mike Maresca, Ulta Beauty’s chief technology and transformation officer. “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.”
The retailer also announced that it is launching Ulta AI, a new AI shopping assistant built on Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, which is available on its website and will be rolling out soon to its Ulta beauty app.
Leveraging insights from its more than 46 million members, Ulta AI offers more personalized guidance to shoppers, helping them navigate its expansive digital assortment, discover products and more easily explore recommendations, complementing the in-store assistance they can get from Ulta associates.
“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.”
Maresca added that the company believes commerce will continue to be shaped by how well retailers turn AI into practical, scalable capabilities. “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,” he said.
