10 things we learned building for the first generation of agentic commerce
AI-driven commerce is emerging quickly, but making it reliable requires much more than adding an AI checkout button. Sellers must manage fragmented catalog integrations, real-time inventory and variant data, evolving protocols, secure payment tokens, fraud detection, fulfillment, and post-purchase operations. The central recommendation is to use adaptable infrastructure and begin with a limited, measurable product selection rather than launching an entire catalog at once. ## Catalog Integration and Data Quality - Product catalogs are the entry point for AI agents, but each agent may require a different format, such as: - SFTP file drops - Custom APIs - Agent-specific feed specifications - Reformatting the same catalog for multiple agents creates a costly maintenance burden. - Reliable “ingestion-ready” data determines whether products appear consistently across AI shopping surfaces. - A shared commerce layer can syndicate one catalog across supported agents and eliminate duplicate integrations. ## Real-Time Inventory and Product Variants - Agents need to verify current availability immediately before presenting checkout options. - Inventory becomes harder to manage when products include combinations of: - Sizes - Colors - Customizations - Variant-specific availability - Checkout APIs must support real-time availability checks and alternative recommendations when a particular configuration is unavailable. - Real-time accuracy is essential for customer trust and brand reputation. ## Protocol Evolution and Compatibility - Agentic commerce protocols are changing rapidly, with new releases adding payment handlers, scoped tokens, discounts, buyer authentication, and transport methods. - Sellers risk creating “zombie integrations” that become obsolete when an AI platform changes direction. - A protocol-agnostic commerce layer can help businesses support standards such as ACP and Google’s UCP without rebuilding their systems for every change. ## Secure Payments Through Shared Payment Tokens - Shared Payment Tokens allow agents to initiate payments with a buyer’s permission without exposing payment credentials. - The token layer connects AI agents to existing payment rails while limiting transaction scope. - Agentic commerce requires more than payment authorization; systems must also support: - Product discovery - Checkout state management - Shipping - Returns and refunds - The broader infrastructure must cover the full transaction lifecycle. ## Fraud Detection Without Human Browser Signals - Traditional fraud tools often depend on signals such as mouse movements, browser fingerprints, device details, and window size. - Those signals disappear when an AI agent performs the transaction. - Network-level payment history can provide risk context even when a purchase is new to a particular seller. - Shared Payment Tokens allow fraud systems such as Radar to evaluate agentic purchases similarly to traditional checkout transactions. - Early deployments with major retailers reportedly experienced fraud rates near zero. ## Start with a Focused Product Selection - Sellers should avoid enabling their entire catalog immediately. - A practical launch strategy is to: - Select a small group of high-conversion SKUs - Use simple products with direct-to-home fulfillment - Monitor conversion, inventory behavior, payment methods, and fulfillment issues - URBN initially focused on popular categories such as dresses and denim rather than its full range, which also includes complex products like plants and custom furniture. - Early launches should function as controlled experiments that produce data for broader expansion. ## A Strategic Shift in Retail Discovery - Agentic commerce moves buying intent from stores, websites, and branded mobile apps onto AI platforms. - This changes how sellers must approach: - Product discovery - Brand control - Trust - Dispute resolution - The relationship between the seller and customer - Agents increasingly mediate product selection and purchase decisions, requiring sellers to adapt their commerce strategy beyond the traditional storefront. Sellers should treat agentic commerce as an evolving channel rather than a one-time integration. Start with reliable data, a narrow product scope, secure tokenized payments, and infrastructure that can absorb protocol changes before scaling to more products and complex fulfillment scenarios.
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