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.