The Rise of Agentic Commerce and the Different Approaches

Bonus: When AI Gets Too Eager to Help

Author

Brent Peterson
July 30, 2025

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The Talk Commerce Podcast Newsletter

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The Rise of Agentic Commerce and the Different Approaches

By Brent W Peterson
The e-commerce industry is witnessing a strategic war over "agentic commerce" – AI systems that autonomously make purchasing decisions, compare products, and complete transactions without human oversight. This isn't just automation; it's AI that thinks, decides, and acts independently in commerce environments.

Shopify Draws Defensive Lines
Shopify has taken a protective stance, implementing new robots.txt restrictions across merchant storefronts that explicitly ban automated scraping and "buy-for-me" agents. This affects major retailers like Alo Yoga and Allbirds, essentially blocking external AI agents from operating within their ecosystem. Instead, Shopify directs legitimate integrators to use their official Checkout Kit, maintaining platform control while enabling limited innovation.

Retailers Race Toward Autonomy
In stark contrast, major retailers are embracing autonomous AI. Amazon continues testing "buy-for-me" features that purchase from third-party sites, while Walmart introduced Sparky, a generative assistant evolving into a fully autonomous shopping agent. These retailers control their entire customer journey, giving them freedom to experiment without ecosystem concerns.

The Collaborative Alternative
European companies have formed Shopware's Agentic Commerce Alliance, including Shopware, Pimcore, and others, focusing on open standards that work across platforms. This collaborative approach offers true interoperability, potentially enabling merchants to bypass platform restrictions entirely.

Strategic Implications
Commerce leaders face three paths: work within platform restrictions for stability, join collaborative standards for independence, or develop specialized solutions that transcend platform control. The winners will be companies choosing the right side of these battle lines for their specific objectives.

The question isn't whether agentic commerce will transform retail – it's which strategic approach will serve your business as these battle lines solidify.

Read the Full article here

Our Latest Episode:

Michael von Bodungen Shares Enterprise Ecommerce Wisdom on Platform Bloat and AI-Driven Future

Michael von Bodungen, General Manager of VTEX North America, joined Talk Commerce to discuss critical enterprise ecommerce challenges. He warned against platform bloat, emphasizing that organizations often choose features over business outcomes. Von Bodungen highlighted the dangers of "tech dogma" and advocated for simplicity in platform selection. His most intriguing prediction involves "agentic buyers" – AI systems that will soon autonomously make business purchases and negotiate with vendors. This represents a fundamental shift in B2B commerce.

When AI Gets Too Eager to Help

Imagine you're planning the perfect 7-day hiking adventure. You tell AI "keep each day under 15 miles" and it happily creates your itinerary...

But here's what AI WON'T tell you: "Actually, that's impossible with your timeline. One day WILL be longer, or you'll need alternative transport."

Instead? It gives you a beautifully formatted plan that leaves you stranded on a trail with no way to reach your daily destination.

Why does this happen? AI is programmed to be helpful above all else. It's like having an overeager assistant who says "YES!" to everything without thinking through the consequences.

The real danger? AI delivers wrong answers with 100% confidence. No hesitation. No "but have you considered..." Just smooth, authoritative incorrectness.

Bottom line: AI is an incredible research assistant and brainstorming partner, but it needs a human fact-checker who understands the real world.

Join the conversation with Brent Peterson and Isaac Morey, Thursdays at 12:00-12:30pm CST on your preferred platform
 
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What's the most confidently wrong answer AI has given you? 👇

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