Agentic commerce: The next leap in marketplace automation

The way we buy online is on the cusp of a massive shift. After the rise of ecommerce, mobile commerce, and social commerce, a new era is emerging - agentic commerce. In this new era, AI-powered agents will search, evaluate, and purchase products on behalf of consumers, without manual browsing, decision fatigue, or price comparisons in endless tabs.

For marketplace sellers, this represents a seismic change in how products are discovered and bought. Winning in the age of agentic commerce won’t be about flashy visuals; it will be about data quality, structured content, and operational precision.

This article explores what agentic commerce is, why it matters now, and how sellers can prepare. We’ll also explore how ecommerce integration platforms like ChannelEngine enable future-ready commerce through marketplace integration, product feed management, and catalog consistency.

What is agentic commerce?

Agentic commerce refers to AI agents acting autonomously on behalf of consumers to make online purchases. These agents don’t just assist or recommend, they act.

Using vast data models, real-time marketplace information, and predefined preferences, AI agents handle the full buying cycle: product discovery, evaluation, and checkout.

Examples in motion:

• Amazon’s “Buy for Me” feature allows AI to shop according to user preferences.
• PayPal’s Agentic Toolkit gives developers tools to build AI-powered purchasing workflows.
• Google’s AI Mode (currently available in the US, UK, and India) shopping integrates contextual search into purchasing decisions.

This is not the domain of chatbots or voice assistants that require human prompts. Agentic AI ecommerce is about delegation and customers handing over decision-making to algorithms.

For sellers, that means your next “customer” may not be a person. It will be an intelligent agent scanning the web for the most suitable, available, and trustworthy product based on structured data, and making split-second purchases across marketplaces.

Why now? Key forces driving the shift

The foundation of agentic commerce is already here, built on rapid advances in artificial intelligence, customer behavior, and the strategic moves of major players.

• Explosion of AI models: From ChatGPT to Gemini, AI models now possess the reasoning and contextual understanding required for autonomous decisions.
• Big tech momentum: Amazon, PayPal, Visa, and others are building agentic capabilities into their ecosystems.
• Consumer expectation shift: Shoppers increasingly seek zero-friction experiences, not just recommendations, but fully delegated shopping.

Much like how consumers embraced one-click checkout and same-day delivery, they’re now primed for hands-free buying powered by trusted AI.

According to the Marketplace Shopping Behavior Report 2025, this evolution aligns with another critical trend: a continuing decline in single-platform loyalty. The average consumer now visits 2 to 3 different marketplaces before committing to a purchase.

Agentic commerce, in this context, isn’t just about enabling convenience; it’s also about ensuring that an AI agent can act across multiple platforms to meet shoppers wherever they are. Remaining competitive will require presence, integration, and strategic alignment across diverse marketplaces, so that autonomous buying decisions made by AI still place your products in front of the right customers, at the right time, on the right platform.

How agentic commerce will impact marketplace sellers

The rise of agentic commerce fundamentally reshapes the marketplace landscape. AI agents are not just replacing parts of the buyer journey; they’re redefining how purchasing decisions are made from start to finish. Here’s what that means for sellers:

1. Product visibility will depend on data, not design

AI agents don’t “see” your product the way human customers do. They don’t browse through images or get swayed by clever ad copy. Instead, they analyze structured data to determine relevance, accuracy, and suitability for the buyer’s needs.

What matters now:

• Titles and descriptions that clearly communicate core product specs and value.
• Complete and well-structured product attributes (size, material, compatibility, etc.).
• Proper categorization and schema markup that makes your listing machine-readable.
  
  

Tip: Think of your product page as a dataset, not a digital storefront. If your listing lacks structure, you’re effectively invisible to AI agents, no matter how good your product is. Read more on how to write product titles that sell on marketplaces.

2. A new competitive landscape based on precision

In traditional ecommerce, strong branding, marketing, and visuals could give sellers a significant edge. But in agentic commerce, the advantage shifts toward sellers who offer clean, accurate, and complete data, fast.

What AI agents evaluate:

• Inventory availability
• Shipping timelines and fulfillment reliability
• Transparent return policies
• Competitive, dynamic pricing
• Attribute completeness and contextual relevance

Agents don’t only consider how big brand is; they favor the best fit based on data. That levels the playing field, allowing smaller sellers to compete, but only if their listings are structured correctly.

Tip: Review your listings through the lens of “Would an AI choose this over a similar product with cleaner data and faster shipping?” If not, update accordingly.

3. Buying decisions will happen in seconds

In human-driven shopping, buyers might browse for 15 minutes, open several tabs, compare reviews, and revisit the site before purchasing. AI agents, on the other hand, make split-second decisions based on data confidence and relevance.

What that means for sellers:

• There’s no time to “influence” the buyer later; you must win the agent’s decision in real time.
• If your inventory or price is outdated, the agent moves on immediately.
• Delays in syncing your catalog can cause lost sales, even if you have the best product.

Tip: Automate your inventory and pricing updates. Using automation on marketplaces, you can keep your product data accurate across all channels at all times. 

4. Cross-marketplace loyalty may weaken

AI agents aren’t loyal to a platform. They’ll source the best product based on criteria, regardless of where it’s listed. That means they’ll scan Amazon, eBay, Zalando, Walmart, Bol, and others simultaneously, comparing your product to all competing listings everywhere.

Implications for sellers:

• Inconsistent listings across marketplaces will hurt your chances of being selected.
• You can no longer rely on just one or two platforms; AI agents will find gaps.
• If your pricing, policies, or data differ by channel, it introduces risk and reduces trust.

Tip: Use a centralized product feed management solution to maintain consistency across all your marketplaces. This ensures agents receive the same high-quality data regardless of where they’re operating.

The future of fashion will be shaped by agentic commerce too. In industries like fashion, where discovery and personalization are crucial, AI agents are already reshaping how consumers find and buy products.

From virtual try-ons to personalized outfit curation, fashion commerce is becoming increasingly data-driven and automated. Read more on how AI-powered shopping is transforming the fashion industry, and why brands need to rethink discovery, personalization, and fulfillment strategies in this new landscape.

What sellers need to prepare for

To succeed in agentic commerce, sellers must optimize not just for people, but for machines. Here’s how:

1. Optimize product data for machines

Your product listings need to be machine-readable, accurate, and semantically rich. That includes:

• Structured attributes: Size, material, dimensions, compatibility, use cases.
• Contextual metadata: Tags for media assets like videos and images.
• Intent-driven descriptions: Highlight why the product solves a problem, not just what it is.

Check out how marketplace optimization can help you enrich data across all channels efficiently.

2. Automate catalog management

Agents need accurate, real-time information. That requires:

• Real-time syncing of inventory and pricing.
• Consistent catalog data across every connected marketplace.
• Integration with logistics and warehouse systems to reflect real-world availability.
  
  

Manual listing management is no longer viable in the world of agentic automation.

3. Build trust with AI agents

Trust signals that matter to machines include:

• Price transparency.
• Accurate delivery estimates.
• Clear returns policies.
• Zero listing conflicts or data mismatches.

Consistency earns repeat purchases, not from a human, but from an AI that learned you’re reliable.

4. Prepare for agentic SEO (AEO)

AI Engine Optimization goes beyond traditional SEO. Your listings must appeal to AI reasoning, meaning:

• Rich schema markup.
• Data consistency across every attribute.
• Copy structured around intent, not just keywords.

This shift from “what people search for” to “what agents match” changes the playbook entirely.

Steps to stay ahead

Here’s how to start aligning your operations with the future of agentic commerce:

• Conduct a product data audit: Check for missing attributes, inconsistencies, and outdated content.
• Adopt a product feed management tool: Centralize control with platforms like ChannelEngine that integrate across marketplaces.
• Enable real-time inventory and pricing updates: Use APIs to sync systems and prevent agent drop-offs due to bad data.
• Educate your team: Help marketing, logistics, and product teams understand this AI-driven shift and build workflows accordingly.

The shift to agentic commerce isn’t just technical, it’s cultural. Embracing automation and data quality as the foundation of sales is critical. 

Agentic commerce isn’t a distant concept; it’s already taking shape. The way people shop online is changing fast, and the tools doing the buying aren’t always human anymore. For marketplace sellers, this means rethinking how products are listed, managed, and discovered.

The good news? You don’t have to figure it out alone. With the right tools and a forward-thinking approach, you can stay ahead of the curve and make sure your products are the ones AI agents choose.

ChannelEngine is here to help you get ready for this new era of commerce, one where smart product data and automation drive real results.