{{Short description|Form of automated electronic commerce}}{{Multiple issues| {{Notability|date=December 2025}} {{Unreliable sources|date=December 2025}} }} '''Agentic commerce''' (also referred to as ''agent-based commerce'') describes an emerging form of e-commerce in which autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents independently execute purchasing and payment processes on behalf of users or organizations. Unlike conventional digital commerce systems, which require direct human interaction at key decision points, agentic commerce systems are designed to search for products or services, evaluate options, make purchasing decisions, and complete payments without real-time human involvement.
An emerging development within the broader fields of e-commerce, fintech, and artificial intelligence; agentic commerce combines advances in generative AI, autonomous agents, application programming interfaces (APIs), and digital payment infrastructures to direct transactions with no direct human interaction.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-08 |title=Deep Dive: Agentic AI in Payments and Commerce: By Sam Boboev |url=https://www.finextra.com/blogposting/28635/deep-dive-agentic-ai-in-payments-and-commerce |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=Finextra Research |language=en}}</ref>
== Characteristics == A defining feature of agentic commerce is the delegation of end-to-end commercial activities to software agents. These agents typically operate according to predefined user preferences, rules, or constraints, such as price limits, quality criteria, delivery times, or preferred payment methods. Based on these parameters, an agent can autonomously perform tasks including product discovery, price comparison, contract selection, order placement, and payment execution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-01 |title=Agentic Commerce Is Redefining Retail—Here's How to Respond |url=https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/agentic-commerce-redefining-retail-how-to-respond |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=BCG Global |language=en|publisher=Boston Consulting Group}}</ref>
In contrast to decision-support systems, which provide recommendations to human users, agentic commerce systems are designed to act independently. Human involvement may be limited to initial configuration, periodic supervision, or exception handling.<ref name="Cherukuri">{{Cite web |last=Cherukuri |first=Chandana |date=2025-06-08 |title=Agentic Payments-Next Frontier in Fintech |url=https://finsignals.substack.com/p/agentic-payments-next-frontier-in |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=Finsignals}}</ref>
== Comparison with traditional and AI-assisted commerce == Traditional e-commerce requires users to manually browse products, select offers, and authorize payments. Generative AI systems used in commerce commonly assist users by answering questions or suggesting options, and do not complete transactions autonomously.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Benefits and Limitations of Generative AI: Harvard Experts Answer Your Questions {{!}} Harvard Online |url=https://www.harvardonline.harvard.edu/blog/benefits-limitations-generative-ai |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260110022136/https://www.harvardonline.harvard.edu/blog/benefits-limitations-generative-ai |archive-date=2026-01-10 |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=harvardonline.harvard.edu |language=en}}</ref>
Agentic commerce differs in that decision-making authority is partially or fully transferred to AI agents. As a result, the conventional customer journey, characterized by conscious decision points, may be replaced by continuous, automated micro-decisions performed by software.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Katharina Schumacher, Roger Roberts, Katharina Giebel |date=2025-10-17 |title=The agentic commerce opportunity: How AI agents are ushering in a new era for consumers and merchants |url=https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-agentic-commerce-opportunity-how-ai-agents-are-ushering-in-a-new-era-for-consumers-and-merchants |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=McKinsey}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Boboev |first=Sam |title=Deep Dive: Agentic AI in Payments and Commerce |url=https://www.fintechwrapup.com/p/deep-dive-agentic-ai-in-payments |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=www.fintechwrapup.com |language=en}}</ref>
== Applications and business use cases == Potential applications of agentic commerce include recurring purchases, subscription management, business-to-business procurement, inventory replenishment, and price monitoring. In such contexts, transactions are often predictable and standardized, making them suitable for automation. From a business perspective, agentic commerce systems may be used to optimize supply chains, manage inventory levels, negotiate prices algorithmically, or execute transactions across multiple platforms.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Krishna Dusad |date=2025-11-14 |title=Agentic Commerce: The Paradigm Shift from Human-Mediated to Autonomous AI-Driven Transactions in Digital Payment Systems |url=https://ijcesen.com/index.php/ijcesen/article/view/4304 |journal=International Journal of Computational and Experimental Science and Engineering |volume=11 |issue=4 |doi=10.22399/ijcesen.4304 |issn=2149-9144|doi-access=free }}</ref>
Enterprises adopting the new technology include retailers Walmart,<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Ludmir |first=Clara |title=Why Agentic Commerce Adoption Is Inevitable—And Who Might Lose From It |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/claraludmir/2026/02/16/agentic-commerce-adoption-is-inevitable-and-resisting-it-may-not-be-an-option/ |access-date=2026-02-27 |work=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> Home Depot, Wayfair and Urban Outfitters,<ref>{{Cite news |title=3 retailers on their role in agentic AI experiences |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-retailers-role-agentic-ai-145748734.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260121022959/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-retailers-role-agentic-ai-145748734.html |archive-date=2026-01-21 |access-date=2026-02-27 |work=Yahoo Finance |language=en-US}}</ref> and ad tech DSPs, including Google Ads,<ref name=":2" /> Amazon,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-14 |title=Amazon edges deeper into agentic commerce with Rufus 'Auto Buy' function |url=https://www.emarketer.com/content/amazon-edges-deeper-agentic-commerce-rufus-auto-buy |access-date=2026-02-27 |website=EMARKETER |language=en}}</ref> and Yahoo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-07 |title=As ad platforms launch agentic AI features, marketer distrust persists |url=https://www.emarketer.com/content/ad-platforms-launch-agentic-ai-features--marketer-distrust-persists |access-date=2026-02-27 |website=EMARKETER |language=en}}</ref> Chinese tech firms are using apps to provide full-service shopping and payment tools. These includes Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance who are currently developing AI powered shopping apps. The Qwen AI chatbot allows users to complete transactions directly within its interface. US firms are still leading in developing AI models but integration is slower due to privacy restrictions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chin |first=Dylan Butts,Matthew |date=2026-01-21 |title=Chinese tech giants enter the 'agentic commerce' race as AI reshapes super apps |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/21/china-tech-ai-agentic-commerce-super-apps-alibaba-taobao-qwen-tencent-wechat-doubbao-weixin.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260214092305/https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/21/china-tech-ai-agentic-commerce-super-apps-alibaba-taobao-qwen-tencent-wechat-doubbao-weixin.html |archive-date=February 14, 2026 |access-date=2026-03-11 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>
== Payments and technical infrastructure == Agentic commerce relies on digital payment systems capable of supporting automated, machine-initiated transactions, including API-based payment processing, tokenization, real-time authorization, and continuous risk monitoring.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Human-Not-Present: Agentic Commerce, Network Tokens and Payments |url=https://www.nmi.com/blog/human-not-present-agentic-commerce-network-tokens-and-payments/ |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=NMI |language=en-US}}</ref> Typical user interfaces, such as shopping carts, may be replaced by backend integrations between AI agents, merchants, and payment service providers.<ref name=":1" /> For example, Iike 2025, Alibaba launched Alipay AI Pay, which grew and began operating as an application for different retailers. In December 2025, Alipay teamed up with Rokid to enable developers to integrate AI payments into AI agents on Rokid's Lingzhu platform. In January 2025, Alipay unveiled the Agentic Commerce Trust Protocol in partnership with Alibaba's consumer AI applications, such as the Qwen App and Taobao Instant Commerce.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alipay Launches AI Payment Processing Product to Help Businesses and OPCs Thrive in the Agentic Economy {{!}} AFP.com |url=https://www.afp.com/en/infos/alipay-launches-ai-payment-processing-product-help-businesses-and-opcs-thrive-agentic-economy |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=www.afp.com}}</ref> Qwen adopted the platform first, connecting it to Taobao Instant Commerce and Alipay AI Pay. Users could use Qwen's agentic feature to place food and drink orders within the application instead of having to click outside to an external browser.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alipay AI Payment Exceeds 120 Million Transactions in One Week as Agentic Commerce Accelerates in China |url=https://financialit.net/news/payments/alipay-ai-payment-exceeds-120-million-transactions-one-week-agentic-commerce |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=Financial IT |language=en}}</ref>
For merchants, participation in agentic commerce may require products and services to be presented in structured, machine-readable formats to ensure discoverability and interoperability with autonomous agents.<ref>{{Cite web |last=StartupValley |date=2025-11-06 |title=Übernimmt KI bald unseren gesamten Einkauf? |url=https://startupvalley.news/de/agentic-commerce-veraendert-den-handel-mit-ki-agenten/ |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=StartupValley - Erfolgreich Gründen und durchstarten! |language=de}}</ref>
== Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) == In January 2026, Google announced the ''Universal Commerce Protocol'' (UCP), an open-source web standard intended to enable interoperability between AI agents and retail systems across the shopping journey, from discovery and checkout to post-purchase support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elias |first=Jennifer |date=2026-01-11 |title=Google bolsters bet on AI-powered commerce with new platform for shopping agents |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/11/google-launches-universal-commerce-protocol-bets-on-ai-powered-retail.html |access-date=2026-01-22 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Under the Hood: Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) |url=https://developers.googleblog.com/under-the-hood-universal-commerce-protocol-ucp/ |website=Google Developers Blog |date=2026-01-11 |access-date=2026-01-16}}</ref> UCP makes use of REST, JSON-RPC transports, and support for Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), Agent2Agent (A2A), and Model Context Protocol (MCP).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Toscano |first=Joe |title=Google's Universal Commerce Protocol Signals The End Of Search-Based Shopping |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joetoscano1/2026/01/22/googles-universal-commerce-protocol-signals-the-end-of-search-based-shopping/ |access-date=2026-01-22 |work=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>
== Legal, regulatory, and security considerations == The use of autonomous agents in commerce raises legal and regulatory questions, particularly regarding authorization, liability, consumer protection, and fraud prevention. Existing payment and contract frameworks are generally based on human decision-makers, and their applicability to autonomous agents remains an area of active discussion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agentic Commerce Security: Protect Against AI Agent Threats |work=DataDome |access-date=19 January 2026 |url= https://datadome.co/agent-trust-management/agentic-commerce-security/}}</ref>
Open issues include responsibility for unauthorized or erroneous transactions, mechanisms for dispute resolution, standards for agent authentication, and compliance with data protection and financial regulations. Continuous, automated transaction patterns may also require new approaches to security and risk assessment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beij |first=Pascal |date=2025-08-01 |title=Agentic Commerce: Agentic Commerce: Wie KI den Handel revolutioniert |url=https://www.textilzeitung.at/business/news/agentic-commerce-agentiic-commerce-wie-ki-den-handel-revolutioniert-17057 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=Textilzeitung |language=de}}</ref> Traditional fraud models centered on identity verification may be insufficient for agentic commerce, and that merchants may need intent-based detection methods using machine learning and behavioral analysis to distinguish legitimate AI agents from malicious automation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agentic Commerce |work=DataDome |access-date=2025-12-25 |url= https://datadome.co/bot-management-protection/agentic-commerce-business-ready-accept-ai-transactions/}}</ref>
=== Governance frameworks === The deployment of autonomous AI agents in commercial environments has prompted the development of dedicated governance frameworks. These aim to define operational boundaries, decision authority, oversight mechanisms, and accountability structures for agentic systems.
The '''Agentic Commerce Framework''' (ACF), created in 2025 by Vincent Dorange, is a governance standard that structures the deployment of autonomous AI agents around four founding principles (Decision Sovereignty, Governance by Design, Ultimate Human Control, Traceable Accountability), four operational layers, and 18 governance KPIs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.acfstandard.com/en/standard |title=ACF Standard — Agentic Commerce Framework |access-date=2026-03-22}}</ref>
In January 2026, Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) published the '''Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI''', extending its existing AI governance guidelines to address agent-specific risks including delegation chains and multi-agent coordination.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imda.gov.sg/resources/press-releases-factsheets-and-speeches/press-releases/2026/new-model-ai-governance-framework-for-agentic-ai |title=New Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI |publisher=IMDA Singapore |access-date=2026-03-22}}</ref>
The '''Cloud Security Alliance''' (CSA) has also proposed an Agentic Trust Framework applying zero-trust principles to AI agent governance.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/blog/2026/02/02/the-agentic-trust-framework-zero-trust-governance-for-ai-agents |title=The Agentic Trust Framework |publisher=Cloud Security Alliance |access-date=2026-03-22}}</ref>
== Ecosystem and implementation == The adoption of agentic commerce typically requires changes in commerce architecture, data modeling, identity and permissions, and API-based orchestration of checkout and post-purchase workflows.<ref>{{cite web |title=Under the Hood: Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) |url=https://developers.googleblog.com/under-the-hood-universal-commerce-protocol-ucp/ |website=Google Developers Blog |date=2026-01-11 |access-date=2026-01-16}}</ref>
Management consultancies have identified agentic commerce as a structural evolution of digital commerce, emphasizing the role of AI-driven agents in automating discovery, decision-making, and transaction processes across commerce systems. McKinsey & Company has described agentic commerce as a significant shift in how consumers interact with brands and how enterprises design their commerce operating models.<ref>{{cite web |title=The agentic commerce opportunity |url=https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-agentic-commerce-opportunity |website=McKinsey & Company |access-date=2026-01-16}}</ref>
In Europe, this ecosystem also includes digital commerce consultancies specializing in the adoption of agentic commerce. Consulting firms such as Horrea support brands in understanding and implementing the technological and organizational shifts associated with agentic commerce.<ref>{{cite web |title=Horrea entre au capital de CosaVostra pour devenir le champion du “Creative Commerce” |url=https://www.presse-citron.net/horrea-entre-au-capital-de-cosavostra-pour-devenir-le-champion-du-creative-commerce/ |website=Presse-citron |date=2024-11-21 |access-date=2026-01-16}}</ref>
== Market development and outlook == Agentic commerce is generally regarded as an early-stage development. Industry analysts have projected that AI-driven agents could account for a small but growing share of digital payment transactions within the coming years. Due to the scale of global digital commerce, even limited adoption could represent substantial transaction volumes. Analysts expect that by 2029, AI agents could handle between 1% and 4% of all digital payment transactions. With a projected total transaction volume of over $36 trillion a year, even a small share translates into a market worth up to $1.47 trillion.<ref name="Cherukuri"/> According to a McKinsey study from October 2025, agentic commerce projects that by 2030, the *U.S. business-to-consumer retail market alone could see up to $1 trillion in revenue orchestrated through agentic commerce. On a global scale, the opportunity could range from $3 trillion to $5 trillion.<ref name=":0" />
Early experiments and pilot projects have demonstrated both the potential and current limitations of the technology.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeff |first=Maxwell |date=2024-12-02 |title=The race is on to make AI agents do your online shopping for you |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/02/the-race-is-on-to-make-ai-agents-do-your-online-shopping-for-you/ |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> Major payment networks and technology providers have announced initiatives related to AI-enabled commerce, including agent-based tokenisation, data protection, and automated transaction management platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cherukuri |first=Chandana |date=2025-07-07 |title=Agentic Payments-Part 2 |url=https://finsignals.substack.com/p/agentic-payments-part-2 |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=Finsignals}}</ref> Among them are Mastercard,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mastercard unveils Agent Pay, pioneering agentic payments technology to power commerce in the age of AI |url=https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2025/april/mastercard-unveils-agent-pay-pioneering-agentic-payments-technology-to-power-commerce-in-the-age-of-ai/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250726005910/https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2025/april/mastercard-unveils-agent-pay-pioneering-agentic-payments-technology-to-power-commerce-in-the-age-of-ai/ |archive-date=2025-07-26 |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=www.mastercard.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Visa,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Enabling AI agents to buy securely and seamlessly |url=https://corporate.visa.com/en/products/intelligent-commerce.html |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=corporate.visa.com |language=en}}</ref> Stripe,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-11 |title=Stripe launches the Agentic Commerce Suite to help every business thrive in the AI-enabled commerce era |url=https://stripe.com/de/newsroom/news/agentic-commerce-suite |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=stripe.com |language=de-DE}}</ref> Mollie<ref>{{Cite web |last=Finanzmagazin |first=I. T. |last2=Wolf |first2=David |date=2025-11-26 |title=Mollie macht Händler bereit für KI-Payment mit ChatGPT |url=https://www.it-finanzmagazin.de/agentic-commerce-mollie-ki-basierte-payment-integration-chatgpt-236898/ |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=IT Finanzmagazin |language=de}}</ref> and Unzer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Volz |first=Maximilian |date=2025-08-22 |title=Unzer – Wie KI-Agenten bald eigenständig einkaufen und was daraus folgt |url=https://brief.platow.de/banken/wie-ki-agenten-bald-eigenstaendig-einkaufen-und-was-es-bedeutet/ |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=DER PLATOW Brief |language=de-DE}}</ref>
News coverage of UCP (Universal Commerce Protocol) characterized it as a foundational layer for scaling agentic commerce, positioning it as a standardized mechanism for AI assistants and conversational interfaces to initiate and complete purchases without requiring bespoke integrations for each merchant or agent system.<ref name="theverge">{{cite web |title=Google brings buy buttons to Gemini and AI search |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/860446/google-ai-shopping-standard-buy-button-gemini |work=The Verge |date=2026-01-12 |access-date=2026-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Google teams up with Walmart and other retailers to enable shopping within Gemini AI chatbot |url=https://apnews.com/article/f1679240ba93d40b90a97348b73039d3 |work=Associated Press |date=2026-01-12 |access-date=2026-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Walmart expands AI-powered shopping with Google Gemini |url=https://www.axios.com/2026/01/11/walmart-google-gemini-ai-shopping |work=Axios |date=2026-01-11 |access-date=2026-01-16}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite news |last=Greeven |first=Mark |title=Inside Alibaba’s Agentic Commerce Play: The End Of Search-And-Browse Shopping? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/markgreeven/2026/02/14/inside-alibabas-agentic-commerce-play-the-end-of-search-and-browse-shopping/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221102511/https://www.forbes.com/sites/markgreeven/2026/02/14/inside-alibabas-agentic-commerce-play-the-end-of-search-and-browse-shopping/ |archive-date=2026-02-21 |access-date=2026-03-11 |work=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>
== Further reading == Dusad, Krishna: "Agentic Commerce: The Paradigm Shift from Human-Mediated to Autonomous AI-Driven Transactions in Digital Payment Systems"; ''International Journal of Computational and Experimental Science and Engineering'' (November 2025).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Krishna Dusad |date=2025-11-14 |title=Agentic Commerce: The Paradigm Shift from Human-Mediated to Autonomous AI-Driven Transactions in Digital Payment Systems |url=https://ijcesen.com/index.php/ijcesen/article/view/4304 |journal=International Journal of Computational and Experimental Science and Engineering |volume=11 |issue=4 |doi=10.22399/ijcesen.4304 |issn=2149-9144|doi-access=free }}</ref>
== See also == *Procurement *Logistics *Enterprise software *Brand management *Autonomous agent *AI agent *Programmatic advertising *List of advertising technology companies
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:E-commerce Category:Applications of artificial intelligence