Agentic commerce: What it is and how to prepare

Article topics

1. What is agentic commerce?
2. Are customers trusting AI to make purchasing decisions for them?
3. How to prepare your store for agentic commerce

The way customers buy online is constantly evolving.

For example, ten years ago, most people bought what they needed on a desktop computer. Today, about seven in ten purchases are made on smart devices!

Ecommerce is set to change again in the not-too-distant future with agentic commerce, where AI agents will make purchases on behalf of human customers.

In this article, we’ll take a look at how agentic commerce works, and how to prepare your online store for this new technology.

What is agentic commerce?

Agentic commerce is when an AI agent acts on behalf of a customer to research and compare products and complete purchases.

By AI agent, we mean a software system that uses artificial intelligence to make decisions and take action, like Google AI Mode. While generative AI tools like ChatGPT aren’t AI agents as such, some do offer specialist agentic commerce tools, like Perplexity’s Buy with Pro.

Think of agentic commerce like having your own personal shopper, who finds the right product for your needs and makes the transaction on your behalf.

AI agents can use their own custom protocol to find the right information, but Google and a number of key players have built an open standard to make things easier for agents and eCommerce stores – this is known as the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP).

Find out more about UCP and other developments in our eCommerce marketing predictions for 2026.

Are customers trusting AI to make purchasing decisions for them?

That’s the big question.

Agentic commerce handles purchasing from start to finish, so for it to work, customers need to put their trust in it.

83% of customers say they would trust agentic commerce to make recommendations, but would want to check these before agreeing to a purchase.

At this moment in time, agentic commerce is likely to work best where purchases are less subjective. For example, if a customer usually buys a specific product, and wants AI to shop around to try and find a better deal on that product.

However as agentic commerce improves, customers are more likely to be happy to use it.

How to prepare your store for agentic commerce

Here’s an interesting statistic – customers using agentic commerce are 10% more engaged than traditional visitors and, as a result, more likely to make a purchase.

This means optimising your eCommerce website for agentic commerce can lead to more sales and more revenue.

Here’s how to prepare your online store for AI agents and autonomous buying.

1. Check your robots.txt file

The first step in enabling your eCommerce store for agentic commerce is to make sure bots (the software programmes that AI agents use to gather information) can access your website.

If they can’t access your website and discover your products, they won’t be able to recommend you to customers.

Each website has a robots.txt file which tells different types of bots what they can and can’t access. It’s worth accessing your robots.txt file to see who you’re letting on your site.

If you don’t know where your robots.txt file is, use a tool like Crawlercheck to find out.

Find out about robots.txt files in our guide to technical SEO

2. Implement schema

Schema markup adds specialist code to your web pages, which provides bots with more context about your website and the products you sell.

This type of markup can be helpful for agentic commerce, as it tells AI agents what a specific product is, how much it costs, and directs them to frequently asked questions and product reviews.

The best type of schema to use for agentic commerce is JSON-LD, as when filled in completely, this provides AI agents with the most information.

Many eCommerce platforms, like Shopify and BigCommerce, generate this schema automatically for you, and others (like WooCommerce) offer plugins that create it.

3. Review your product descriptions

The more detailed and literal your product descriptions are, the more likely AI agents are to identify your products as the perfect match.

This is because people are likely to provide AI agents with as much information as possible to make sure they suggest the right product. For example:

• Rather than just saying ‘I want a red dress in a size 12’
• They’re more likely to say, ‘I want a dark red, linen-blend dress that’s a size 12, knee-length, plain, under £50, and suitable for wearing out to dinner and cocktails when I’m on holiday in Spain, with free delivery.’

Here’s how to optimise your product descriptions for agentic commerce:

• Avoid including information in documents. If this isn’t possible, make sure the documents are accessible and structured
• Top-load your product descriptions with the most relevant information first.
• Use bullet points and headings – these aren’t just great for AI agents, but for human shoppers too!
• Add frequently asked questions to provide additional information
• Include information about your delivery costs and times, as well as your returns policy
• Provide as many customer reviews as possible

The anatomy of the perfect product page: 9 elements you need

4. Make the checkout process as frictionless as possible

It’s important to make sure customers can get through your checkout as quickly as possible, for example, by offering a guest checkout or not asking for information you don’t need.

Likewise, you need to make sure AI agents can purchase things easily from your website. If they can’t, you not only lose out on a sale, but may end up frustrating a potential customer.

The easiest way to do this is to have two separate checkout systems – one for people, and one for AI agents (sometimes referred to as a ‘machine gate’). That way you can have a visually appealing checkout for human shoppers, and a fast, secure checkout that supports agentic commerce.

Most eCommerce platforms allow you to turn on a machine gate in your settings, and the majority of modern payments gateways are set to accept payments from AI agents.

5. Use the technology that is available to you

The good news is that many eCommerce platforms are adopting agentic commerce, making it easier for online stores to make their product catalogues AI-friendly.

For example, Shopify offers agentic storefronts to customers free of charge, which connect products to AI shopping platforms. Shopify structures and syndicates product data, meaning less for customers to do.

6. Keep an eye on your AI agent referrals

You can track AI agents on your website. This allows you to see which AI agents are recommending your website, as well as which ones are buying from you.

The easiest way to do this is through your analytics platform of choice (for example, Google Analytics). Go to your traffic acquisition or referrals report to see which websites are directing traffic to your site.

Alternatively, check out your server or content distribution network (CDN) logs. While these are harder to access and review, they are the most accurate source of information, as they can distinguish between human and bot traffic.

7. Continue to promote your brand

While there are advantages to agentic commerce, there are downsides too.

As AI agents are scanning multiple websites to find the right products, it can lead to reduced brand loyalty, as well as fewer opportunities to build a community with customers.

This means it’s more important than ever to build brand awareness and tell customers who you are and what you do.

Use social media to showcase your brand, focus on getting backlinks and brand mentions from reputable websites, and use email marketing to tell prospective and existing customers what you’re up to.

Boost brand loyalty: 9 ways to win repeat buyers

Xigen: The agency dedicated to eCommerce

Agentic commerce sounds like a very scary concept, but it’s not as complicated as you might think!

It’s all about making your online store as easy to search and buy from for AI agents as for human shoppers. And many eCommerce platforms, like Shopify, do all the hard work so you don’t have to.

If you need a little extra help modernising your online store and getting it ready for agentic eCommerce, we’re the eCommerce agency you can count on.

With two decades of experience and knowledge of the latest eCommerce news and developments, we’ll transform your store so it’s ready for both people and bots to buy from!

Get in touch today to find out more.