A CMO's Guide to Google's 2026 CX Strategy

This IDC Perspective discusses Google's 2026 CX strategy, which ushers in agent-driven commerce, integrating AI-powered agents, Universal Commerce Protocol, and persistent shopping experiences. Google aims to mediate and monetize the customer journey. CMOs must adapt by enhancing product data, enabling real-time decisioning, and redefining brand roles within Google's ecosystem to ensure visibility, seamless interoperability, and consistent customer experience across both Google and owned channels."In the era of agentic shopping, first-mover brands that adapt to the new rules of agentic commerce will gain structural share advantages," says Gerry Murray, director of Enterprise Applications and Agents at IDC. "Product visibility through commerce AEO will be equally or more important than brand visibility via content AEO."