Berlin-based Talon.
One, a prominent incentives platform for 300 global enterprise brands, has announced the introduction of its Unified Incentives Protocol (UIP), a new set of platform-agnostic standards designed to integrate promotions and loyalty incentives into AI agent-based shopping experiences.
With agentic commerce projected to capture up to 20% of market share in the US alone by 2030, brands will need to ensure their incentives strategies are fully visible and intelligible to shopping agents. UIP addresses this need by communicating incentives such as loyalty programs, promotions, discounts, and rewards to agents in a standardized, machine-readable format.
The protocol aims to help businesses succeed in agentic commerce by driving product and brand discoverability through surfacing incentives where AI agents search and compare; enabling new forms of engagement by treating agents as a core omnichannel touchpoint; and delivering value for both humans and their agents, without relying on unsustainable price competition.
Christoph Gerber, CEO of Talon.
One, commented, “Agentic commerce represents a fundamental shift in how customers discover and choose brands. In this new reality, incentives will be a core part of how value is communicated to AI agents. With the Unified Incentives Protocol, we’re giving businesses the standards they need to remain discoverable, differentiated and competitive in agent-based commerce.” He added an example: “Imagine Gemini recommending Brand A over Brand B, not just on price or preference, but because the purchase would earn the shopper 200 loyalty points and unlock Gold tier status. Incentives become an integral part of the agent’s decision-making logic, not an afterthought – and brands avoid resorting to a race to the bottom.”
Alongside the UIP announcement, Talon.
One has launched the first two building blocks of the protocol: loyalty and discount extensions for Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), spanning all of Talon.
One’s loyalty and select discount features.
These UCP extensions ensure that customers shopping via Gemini or other AI agents that adopt UCP can see and benefit from the complete loyalty experience a brand offers. While the current scope of Google’s UCP provides limited native support for loyalty programs, Talon.
One’s new extensions are live and available to its customers. The extensions provide UCP-enabled agents with visibility into a customer’s point balance and tier status; a clear understanding of points earned or redeemed within a transaction; and support for card-based loyalty programs, enabling loyalty use cases without identity linking. Talon.
One is also working on additional incentives extensions for other agentic platforms.
Laurens Van Wiele, CPO of Talon.
One, commented: “As AI agents increasingly influence purchase decisions, businesses now have a unique opportunity to define how loyalty and long-term value are understood from the outset. That’s why we’re committed to enabling our customers to compete and differentiate in agent-based commerce.” He further stated, “Our UCP loyalty and discount extensions are just the first step in making incentives truly agent-ready. Our ambition is to continue developing the UIP and ensure every Talon.
One incentive, from loyalty to personalized promotions, can be fully understood and applied across all agentic channels.”
Founded in 2015, Talon.
One is an incentives engine that unifies loyalty, promotions, and gamification into one platform. Serving over 300 clients globally, including Adidas, Sephora, and Carlsberg, the company operates with teams in Berlin, London, Boston, and Singapore. Talon.
One was recognized in Gartner’s 2023 Market Guide for Loyalty Program Vendors and as a major player in IDC’s 2024 MarketScape report for Loyalty Software Providers.
