Recent announcements from major technology platforms are accelerating development of “agentic commerce,” a model in which artificial-intelligence agents search for products, compare suppliers and complete purchases automatically.
Technology remains in an early stage, but developments in recent months show large ecommerce, payments and software companies are beginning to build infrastructure for AI-driven purchasing. For distributors, these changes could introduce a new type of digital buyer: software systems that evaluate suppliers and place orders based on price, product data, and delivery performance.
Amazon Expands AI Shopping Tools
One of the most significant recent developments comes from Amazon, which has expanded several AI-based shopping features designed to automate parts of the purchasing process.
The company recently broadened its Shop Direct capability, which allows Amazon customers to discover products sold on external merchant websites even when those products are not sold directly through Amazon. Merchants can connect product catalogs through data feeds, allowing their products to appear in Amazon’s AI-driven search results.
Amazon has also tested a “Buy for Me” feature that allows its AI system to complete purchases on external merchant websites on behalf of customers using stored payment and shipping information. Orders appear in the Amazon interface while the merchant fulfills the order and manages the transaction.
Industry analysts view these tools as early examples of agentic commerce because the AI system performs several purchasing steps—including product discovery, comparison, and checkout—on behalf of the buyer.
Amazon is also expanding AI shopping assistants such as Rufus, which helps customers research products and evaluate options during the buying process.
Disputes Emerge Over Third-Party AI Agents
The rise of AI shopping agents is also creating tensions between ecommerce platforms and AI developers.
Earlier this month, a federal judge granted Amazon a preliminary injunction blocking an AI shopping agent developed by startup Perplexity from placing orders on Amazon’s platform. Amazon argued that the tool accessed customer accounts and purchasing systems without authorization.
The case highlights a broader issue emerging in agentic commerce: whether independent AI agents will be allowed to interact directly with ecommerce platforms or whether retailers will require customers to use their own proprietary AI tools.
Technology Firms Build Agentic Commerce Infrastructure
Beyond Amazon, several technology companies are developing systems that allow AI assistants to interact directly with ecommerce platforms.
Google has outlined work on standards intended to allow AI assistants to retrieve product information and complete transactions across multiple merchant systems.
Commerce technology providers including Shopify are also developing tools that allow conversational AI interfaces to access merchant product catalogs and initiate purchases.
Enterprise software companies are integrating similar capabilities into business applications. For example, Microsoft has introduced purchasing features within its Copilot AI tools that allow users to complete transactions within enterprise software environments.
These efforts aim to enable AI assistants to retrieve structured product data—such as specifications, pricing, and availability—through application programming interfaces rather than traditional ecommerce websites.
Payments Infrastructure Evolves
Payments and marketplace providers are also preparing for automated transactions.
Enterprise marketplace software company Mirakl recently partnered with JPMorgan Chase to support payments for transactions initiated by AI agents within marketplace environments.
The initiative focuses on authentication and authorization systems designed to verify that software agents are permitted to initiate purchases.
Financial infrastructure is a key requirement for agentic commerce because automated purchasing systems must confirm that the AI agent initiating the transaction has the authority to act on behalf of the buyer.
Implications for Distributors
For distributors, the rise of agentic commerce could gradually change how digital orders are generated.
Instead of a human buyer browsing an ecommerce catalog, an AI system could analyze supplier data across multiple platforms and automatically select a supplier based on price, availability, and delivery performance.
That shift would increase the importance of structured product data, standardized attributes, and real-time inventory visibility.
Distributors that maintain detailed product information and accessible APIs may be more likely to appear in automated sourcing queries generated by AI purchasing systems. Conversely, incomplete, or inconsistent product data could make it harder for AI agents to evaluate supplier offerings.
Early Stage but Advancing
Agentic commerce remains an emerging concept, and most B2B purchases are still initiated by human buyers through ecommerce platforms or procurement systems.
However, the growing number of initiatives from Amazon and other technology providers suggests the industry is beginning to build the infrastructure needed to support automated purchasing.
For distributors, the immediate impact may be limited. Over time, however, AI-driven procurement tools could reshape how suppliers compete online—shifting the focus toward product data quality, pricing transparency, and fulfillment performance rather than traditional website merchandising.
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