New Ecommerce Tools: November 19, 2025

Every week we publish a rundown of new services for ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on product images, returns management, agentic commerce, financing, social commerce, website builders, international shipping, and alternative payments.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email updates@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants

VisualScale.ai launches on Google Cloud Marketplace for 3D images. Imagine.io, a developer of AI-powered three-dimensional visualization and content for commerce, has announced the availability of VisualScale.ai on Google Cloud Marketplace. VisualScale.ai lets brands generate realistic, lifestyle visuals using a product image and prompt. Users can start from a cutout image, an existing lifestyle image, or an eligible three-dimensional model, then refine the result with natural-language prompts. Users can upload brand guidelines or reference imagery to steer outputs toward approved looks and identities.

Imagine.io

ShipStation streamlines duty and tax payments for cross-border deliveries. ShipStation, a shipping and logistics platform, is helping U.S. merchants ship internationally. The company is offering a guaranteed prepaid duties and taxes feature, enabling end consumers to pay all fees upfront and thus eliminate unexpected post-delivery charges. Merchants can confirm duty and tax costs directly in ShipStation’s platform when purchasing a label.

European Payments Initiative launches Wero in Germany. The European Payments Initiative, a service backed by 16 European banks and providers, has announced a feature for Wero, an alternative payment solution for Europe-based consumers and merchants, following its development for instant peer-to-peer transfers. Wero ecommerce is now live in Germany, enabling consumers to find merchants accepting this payment solution. EPI member banks in Germany (Postbank, Deutsche Bank, ING Deutschland, Revolut) have begun allowing Wero transactions.

WooCommerce integrates with Reddit. Woo, the company behind the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress, has released Reddit for WooCommerce, streamlining the process for merchants to launch ad campaigns on Reddit. The extension’s one-click deployment automatically enables the Reddit Pixel and conversations API. Merchants can sync product catalogs to Reddit Ads Manager in a single click and, once connected, use the Reddit Ads Manager to create Dynamic Product Ads and Conversions campaigns.

Reddit for WooCommerce

Amazon announces a new returns dashboard. Amazon has introduced “Returns and Recovery: Insights and Opportunities, “a dashboard for all sellers to obtain clearer insights into returns and inventory recovery. The dashboard offers (i) ASIN-level insights, (ii) performance metrics to track trends over time, (iii) recovery insights for Grade and Resell members, and (iv) a resource center and settings to manage returns and recovery settings for both FBA and Fulfilled by Merchant products.

Cross-border platform IFYshop launches Global Warehouse Logistics Fund. IFYshop, a shopping app, has launched the Global Warehouse Logistics Fund to construct smart storage centers, automated sorting systems, and AI-driven supply chain management systems. IFYshop plans to build a logistics network in major trade corridors, helping sellers reduce warehousing and fulfillment costs while enhancing cross-border fulfillment speed. IFYshop is also launching Saving Wallet, a tool for sellers to manage settlement funds.

MikMak updates platform with MCP-powered and AI-driven features. MikMak, an ecommerce enablement and analytics platform, has announced the upcoming release of Model-Context-Protocol-powered and AI-driven enhancements to MikMak 3.0, including the debut of conversational insights. With MCP, commerce systems and AI agents can communicate. MikMak says it amplifies this capability through commerce and insights APIs. MikMak’s conversational insights enable the pairing of visual analytics with narrative intelligence, automatically generating summaries and recommendations.

MikMak

Facebook Marketplace improves tools for buyers and sellers to interact. Facebook Marketplace is testing a feature to help buyers ask the right questions. When starting a chat with a seller, shoppers will see a “Suggested questions to ask” button. Meta AI will use the details from the listing and conversation to suggest questions to ask the seller. Shoppers can react and comment directly on listings, helping others learn about item quality and discover unique finds.

Alibaba.com unveils agentic AI mode. Alibaba.com has launched AI mode, integrating agent-based capabilities directly into the user journey. According to Alibaba.com, AI mode will interpret natural language queries, analyze technical specifications, and automatically compare suppliers across pricing, logistics, certifications, and production capabilities, quickly delivering tailored recommendations. By connecting with existing Alibaba.com services such as secure payment and post-sales support, AI mode aims to enable a fully automated buying experience.

GoDaddy brings agentic AI to small businesses with launch of Airo. GoDaddy has launched Airo, a beta agentic AI website for small businesses to turn simple conversations into completed tasks. Airo can propose an idea, register a domain, build a website, generate a logo or template, and produce a hosted app. Six agents are available at launch: Airo, Airo App Builder, Compliance, Domain Search and Registration, Website Builder, and Logo.

Liquid announces multi-year partnership with Shopify. Liquid, a builder of multimodal foundation models for real-time applications, has partnered with Shopify to license Liquid Foundation Models for search. As part of the agreement, Shopify and Liquid have co-developed a generative recommender system. They are evaluating multimodal models for additional products and use cases, including customer profiles, agents, and product classification. The agreement follows Shopify’s participation in Liquid’s $250 million Series A round in December 2024.

Liquid

Ant International’s Antom launches AI-powered app for SMB operations. Antom, a provider of merchant payment services under Ant International, has announced EPOS360, an app that brings point-of-sale systems, payments, banking, lending, and support together for small and medium‑sized businesses. According to Antom, the app enables merchants to set up online stores and partner with e-wallets and other digital channels. Merchants can also manage daily operations, inventory, and seasonal promotions, and obtain financing support from Ant’s Anext Bank, regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

PayPal relaunches in the U.K. with debit and credit cards plus rewards. PayPal is relaunching its digital wallet across the U.K. as a unified payment experience for customers to shop online and in-store. PayPal customers across the U.K. can now access the new PayPal+ loyalty program, with PayPal debit and credit cards also available. Consumers can sign up to PayPal+ for free in the PayPal app and earn points on both online and in-store purchases.

Znode partners with Unbound Commerce for mobile B2B ecommerce. Znode, a B2B ecommerce platform, has announced a partnership with Unbound Commerce, a provider of app solutions. The partnership enables Znode customers to extend wholesale ecommerce experiences into native iOS and Android apps. Unbound Commerce specializes in building mobile applications for manufacturers and distributors.

Marketing platform Profound launches Shopping Analysis to track AI engines. Profound, a platform that helps businesses control how they appear in generative AI responses, has launched Shopping Analysis. The new tool enables retailers to track which products appear in AI shopping conversations, monitor their visibility rates and positioning against competitors, and understand the specific attributes answer engines assign to their products. Shopping Analysis captures actual product images, their placement within conversations, and comprehensive response details. It also enables teams to evaluate merchant and channel performance.

Profound

3 Years In, GenAI Upends Ecommerce

In just three years, generative AI has changed how ecommerce businesses attract shoppers and close sales.

GenAI began for many users with ChatGPT, then a novel chatbot. But now the technology creates images, writes copy, produces videos, and even codes websites. The result is both easier-than-ever creativity and heightened competition.

When it debuted ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, OpenAI marked a turning point in productivity. Within months, millions of users were generating blog posts, ad scripts, and product descriptions.

The tools that followed promised to make creative work accessible to anyone. We now know this is only partly true.

ChatGPT launched three years ago.

Composition

First, consider writing. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and dozens of other AI tools can draft newsletters, create ads, or write search-engine-optimized copy.

In a recent ecommerce project, I directed AI to generate product copy from this manufacturer’s description:

At less than 5″ wide, the incredibly slim and easy-to-use K-Mini® single-serve coffee maker makes anywhere perfect for great coffee.

Before composing, the AI tool searched the web and considered SEO keywords. After a couple of research steps, it produced several versions, including this one:

The Keurig K-Mini Single-Serve K-Cup Pod coffee maker is so compact that it could fit in your sock drawer.

It was designed for those who live life on the edge of counter space. You know: it’s Monday morning, and your kitchen counter is as cluttered as a teenager’s bedroom floor. Too crowded for a conventional coffee machine.

At less than 5″ wide, this little marvel is here to rescue your mornings with a splash of style and a dash of caffeine.

AI produced descriptions for this coffee maker and then generated various background images from a single photo.

Whether or not the AI version is better or even just good enough is subjective. What makes it incredible is the speed. The site above aims to generate thousands of product descriptions in hours and then test each one to target shoppers.

Beyond product descriptions, marketers now employ large language models for research, outlines, and drafts of various sorts. AI has become indispensable for most writing projects.

Advertising

The design and images for ads are just as easy. Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, and Stable Diffusion can produce quality pictures and illustrations in minutes — for marketing emails, printed postcards, and more.

For digital advertising, Meta’s new Generative Ads Recommendation Model creates ad variations and tests them against pixel conversions. Other services, such as the start-up AdPrompt, similarly generate ads tailored to audiences.

There is more. Last week, Webflow, a website builder, announced App Gen, its AI-powered vibe-coding tool. This AI can access a site’s content management system and interact with its components, such as navigation.

Webflow’s integration is impressive, as are similar tools such as Shopify’s Magic and Sidekick.

Marketers at ecommerce SMBs can seemingly do more than ever without developers.

New Competition

Yet for ecommerce marketers, AI democratization cuts both ways.

While unlocking efficiency, genAI makes it harder to differentiate, get noticed, and keep up.

The value of a word or image is rapidly decreasing. Content is a mass-produced commodity.

The output itself even risks devolving into bland sameness. When every business can produce nearly unlimited copy, images, and ads, creative volume ceases to be an advantage. Distribution and platform control matter more.

Search engine results are increasingly generative summaries, which reduce organic clicks. Zero-click answers keep shoppers on the search platform rather than sending them to external sites. And AI-driven search ads enable automated bidding and creative optimization, which raises costs.

Finally, agentic commerce is the zero-click equivalent for transactions. AI assistants and chatbots can now purchase directly, removing the store’s website from the customer journey. The very technology that empowers productivity also consolidates discovery and conversion inside third-party ecosystems.

This is the new competition. It requires new skills.

New Skills

One of generative AI’s promises is a half-truth. These tools were supposed to make creative work accessible to anyone.

But it doesn’t.

Producing content, ads, and experiences requires a different kind of expertise involving prompt engineering, agent building, and AI-human collaboration.

It is simply wrong to assume all marketers can magically produce winning campaigns, great landing pages, or even effective content.

Next Up

Every wave of ecommerce automation and improvement, from hosted storefronts to marketing automation, has launched new service providers. The same pattern will likely hold in the AI era and solve the paradox described here.

Expect a new generation of tools to help SMBs and enterprise brands alike reach customers directly.

Generative AI has changed ecommerce marketing forever, but the opportunity remains. Success will come to businesses that use these systems strategically and find new ways to compete, create, and connect.

New Ecommerce Tools: November 12, 2025

This week’s installment of new products and services for ecommerce merchants includes updates on agentic commerce, multichannel management, buy-now pay-later, cryptocurrencies, product feed management, and predictive marketing.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email updates@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants

Attain expands OutcomeHQ with predictive AI for marketing results. Attain, a provider of live permissioned purchase data for marketing, has debuted OutcomeAI Summaries, a capability within OutcomeHQ, Attain’s data platform, that instantly transforms live purchase data into strategic insights. According to Attain, OutcomeAI enables marketers to anticipate what’s working and what’s coming next across the media lifecycle. OutcomeAI Summaries surface campaign and brand insights while campaigns are live, providing recommendations that complement existing tools and accelerate decision-making, according to Attain.

Attain

PayPal launches buy-now pay-later in Canada. PayPal has launched Pay in 4, an interest-free, no-fee, BNPL service for Canadians to split eligible purchases of $30 to $1,500 into four equal, interest-free payments over six weeks. Payment options include debit, credit, or bank account. Consumers can pay early using the PayPal app or online. According to PayPal, there are no late fees, sign-up fees, or hidden costs. PayPal’s Purchase Protection covers eligible Pay in 4 transactions.

Block enables Bitcoin payments for Square sellers. Block, the payments infrastructure firm led by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has enabled Bitcoin payments globally for merchants using the Square point-of-sale platform. The integration allows merchants to accept Bitcoin at checkout with instant settlement via Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, with no fees until 2027. Sellers can automatically convert a portion of their daily card sales into Bitcoin as well.

Cashflows partners with Boodil on card payments for U.K. Shopify merchants. Cashflows, a payments platform, has partnered with Boodil, a U.K.-based ecommerce payments technology provider, to enhance the payment experience for Shopify merchants across the U.K. The partnership combines Cashflows’ acquiring and gateway technology with Boodil’s payment infrastructure, providing Shopify merchants with a payment suite that offers card payments and digital wallets. Merchants complete their onboarding via Cashflows and can activate card payments via the Boodil application.

Boodil

Amazon Bazaar app expands Haul to 14 new destinations. Amazon has announced a standalone shopping app called Bazaar, part of its global Haul low-cost shopping experience. Amazon Bazaar is initially available in 14 locations: Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Nigeria. Bazaar supports local currency options and multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, and Traditional Chinese. Customers can use their existing Amazon credentials or create new accounts.

Inriver expands product content distribution with Shopify and Affiliated Distributors. Inriver, a product information management platform, has announced partnerships with Shopify and Affiliated Distributors. Inriver says its Shopify adapter pushes enriched product details directly into a Shopify store through secure APIs. Inriver’s partnership with Affiliated Distributors combines the latter’s eContent Service with Inriver’s PIM, enabling suppliers to syndicate product data and digital assets to a network of more than 230 independent distributors. Through the Affiliated Distributors’ channel in Inriver, vendors can share accurate content faster.

Firmly launches Buy Now platform for agentic commerce. Firmly, a transaction layer powering shoppable content, has launched its Buy Now platform to standardize fragmented commerce protocols and make products shoppable anywhere. Firmly’s centralized Model Context Protocol server provides access to structured product, pricing, availability, and fulfillment data in an AI-readable format. Features include consolidated protocol management, a cryptographic audit trail, and an agent reputation manager.

Multichannel operations app Ordoro integrates with Miva ecommerce platform. Ordoro, a provider of multichannel ecommerce operations software, has announced direct integration with Miva, an ecommerce platform. This API-driven integration gives Miva sellers access to Ordoro’s post-checkout tools, including bulk shipping, automated inventory syncing, dropshipping management, and order routing, all from a centralized dashboard. Merchants can keep stock levels synced in real time across multiple sales channels and warehouses, and automatically route orders and handle complex product catalogs.

Ordoro

Commerce launches Feedonomics apps for Shopify merchants. Commerce, the parent company of  Feedonomics and BigCommerce, has launched new capabilities in the Shopify App Store: Feedonomics for Advertising and Feedonomics for Listings & Orders. These apps empower merchants to improve product discoverability, increase advertising performance, and drive additional revenue, according to Commerce.

Shopline and Lexore partner on AI-powered customer intelligence for merchants. Shopline, a global commerce software provider, has partnered with Lexore Spark, an AI-powered commerce platform to help direct-to-consumer brands with product development and marketing. By integrating Lexore Spark into Shopline, merchants can test concepts with real customers, gather instant feedback, and launch what’s proven to sell. This integration provides Shopline merchants with real-time, in-depth insights at scale, enabling them to curate more personalized shopping experiences.

ECI Software Solutions launches built-in ecommerce AI agent. ECI Software Solutions, a provider of AI-powered business management software and services, has launched its ecommerce AI agent, a built-in tool within the company’s EvolutionX B2B ecommerce platform. ECI’s AI agent (i) provides real-time access to sales, orders, and customer behavior and (ii) automatically enriches product listings with additional details and relevant keywords to improve organic search rankings, visibility, and conversions. Intelligent pattern recognition evaluates orders, detects anomalies, and flags suspicious activity, per ECI.

Constructor, a search platform, releases AI Product Insights Agent. Constructor, a search and product discovery platform for enterprise ecommerce companies, has released its AI Product Insights Agent, a virtual expert on retail product detail pages. According to Constructor, the agent combines generative AI with rich ecommerce data, including on shopper behavior, product specs, and real-time session context. Shoppers can ask questions about the products they’re viewing, choose from frequently asked prompts, and get context-aware answers.

Constructor

New Ecommerce Tools: November 6, 2025

Every week we handpick a list of new products and services for ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on AI-powered marketing, automated ad creation, payments, customer experience management, shipping analytics, ad management, autonomous commerce, live shopping, and loyalty apps.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email updates@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants

Miva launches payment service for ecommerce transactions. Miva, an ecommerce platform, has launched MivaPay, a native payment processing service in partnership with PayPal. MivaPay is built directly into the Miva platform, allowing merchants to start accepting secure payments and eliminating the need for complex third-party integrations. According to Miva, MivaPay enables merchants to launch payment processing in just a few minutes, manage payments and store operations in one dashboard, offer flexible payment options such as digital wallets, and provide PCI-compliant processing for secure transactions.

Miva

HubSpot to acquire XFunnel for AI-powered marketing. HubSpot, an AI-powered CRM for marketing, sales, and customer service, has agreed to acquire XFunnel, a platform that helps businesses monitor, experiment with, and strengthen their presence across LLMs through Answer Engine Optimization. XFunnel helps marketing teams see how their business appears in AI-generated answers and understand the actions needed to connect with the right audiences. XFunnel will be integrated natively into HubSpot’s marketing products.

payabl. launches payments integration for Shopify merchants. payabl., a U.K.-based financial technology provider, has launched a payments integration with Shopify. Beyond online payments, the integration features refunds, 3D Secure, AI-enabled fraud protection tools, and chargeback management. According to payabl., merchants can go live in as little as 48 hours, supported by the platform’s onboarding team. The integration currently supports major payment methods, including credit and debit cards, with additional payment methods, such as PayPal and Wero, coming soon.

Konecta and CrewAI partner to transform operations with Agentic AI. Konecta, a service provider in customer experience management, has partnered with CrewAI, a multi-agent orchestration platform. CrewAI’s platform enables organizations to coordinate multiple specialized AI agents that work collaboratively to execute complex, end-to-end business processes. According to the companies, this orchestration can transform how organizations operate, allowing them to automate workflows that traditionally required multiple human touchpoints. Built on CrewAI’s Agent Management Platform, it will enable Konecta and its clients to industrialize agentic use cases.

Konecta

Shippo launches an analytics product to help merchants leverage shipping data. Shippo, a shipping platform for ecommerce businesses, has launched Shippo Intelligence, an analytics product designed to help analyze shipping costs and identify strategies for delivering more orders on time. With Shippo Intelligence, businesses can compare costs (rated versus invoiced) side by side, identify trends, and utilize clear dashboards to adjust volume, rebalance carriers, or refine fulfillment decisions as trends evolve. Shippo Intelligence is built into the API portal, enabling users to make smarter shipping decisions without additional setup.

Xnurta announces Criteo integration to simplify omnichannel ad management. Xnurta, an agentic AI-powered advertising platform, has released Criteo Retail Media API integration, enabling advertisers to seamlessly create, manage, and optimize campaigns across Criteo’s 225 retail networks all in one place. Get reporting across campaign, line item, product, keyword, negative keyword, placement, and search term levels. Utilize enhanced bulk management and rule-based automation. With this expansion, Xnurta offers a central hub for retail media intelligence, connecting Amazon, Walmart, and Criteo within one AI-powered platform.

Kinsta launches bandwidth-based pricing for website owners and developers. Kinsta, a managed hosting provider for WordPress, has introduced bandwidth-based hosting plans in addition to its existing visitor-based plans. The new plans offer customers the flexibility to select a pricing model that aligns with a site’s traffic patterns and usage. Features of the new pricing option include bandwidth-based plans available at every visitor-based tier, easy switching between visits and bandwidth at any time, improved usage notifications, and a lower risk of unexpected overages caused by bots and scrapers.

Kinsta

Balance introduces MCP Server to manage B2B payments in real time. Balance, an AI-powered financial platform for B2B commerce, has announced its beta release of the Balance Model Context Protocol Server, enabling customers’ AI agents to directly communicate with Balance’s payments, credit, and receivables APIs. According to the company, the Balance MCP Server enables AI agents used by customers to securely retrieve and act on live data using natural language prompts. Merchants can unlock real-time buyer intelligence without leaving their preferred AI chat interface.

ESW launches Agentic Hub to power global commerce. ESW, a direct-to-consumer ecommerce provider, has announced Agentic Hub, an agentic AI platform to power autonomous commerce experiences. Launching in early 2026, the platform will enable brands to build AI agents tailored for international ecommerce to operate and adapt in real-time through self-learning AI systems. As part of the launch, ESW will introduce four new Agentic AI-powered tools: Customer Service, Payment Optimization, Agentic Commerce, and Onboarding & Configuration. Early preview is planned for December 2025.

Marketing platform Maestra launches Shopify loyalty app. Maestra.io, an all-in-one marketing platform for direct-to-consumer brands, has launched its Shopify loyalty app, Maestra Companion App, enabling brands to deploy loyalty programs and sync first-party data. The Maestra Companion App enables brands to launch personalized rewards and promotions, showcase challenges to earn points and highlight available offers, and provide loyalty at checkout. According to Maestra, direct-to-consumer brands can personalize customer interaction across email, SMS/MMS/RCS, web, mobile push, and messaging platforms.

Maestra

Crescendo releases Multimodal AI contact center. Crescendo, an AI-native contact center, has launched Multimodal AI, which unifies voice, text, and visual interactions within a single conversation. Customers can simultaneously type, speak, share images, and even connect to devices. Crescendo orchestrates intelligence by using advanced large language models, role-specific prompting, and direct data access through the Model Context Protocol. Additional updated components to Crescendo’s AI Suite include brand-controllable voice models, AI-driven analytics, automated ticket management, and streamlined data access to platforms such as Shopify.

Live shopping platform Whatnot raises $225 million for expansion. Whatnot, a live shopping platform and marketplace, has closed a $225 million Series F round, co-led by DST Global and CapitalG. New investors Sequoia Capital and Alkeon Capital participated, alongside returning backers Greycroft, Andreessen Horowitz, Avra, and Bond. Other investors include Y Combinator, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Liquid 2 Ventures. The company will use the capital to invest in its platform, roll out new features, develop its policies, and accelerate international expansion.

Cuttable launches in the U.S., giving away AI-made ads. Cuttable, an AI-powered platform that automates ad creation for ecommerce, has launched in the U.S. Cuttable’s platform connects to a Shopify or ecommerce store, analyzes the brand’s products and visual identity, and then generates ready-to-run image and video ads optimized for Meta Ads Manager. As part of the launch, Cuttable is giving away 1,000 ads to every online store in the U.S. for Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram.

Cuttable

New Ecommerce Tools: October 29, 2025

This week’s rundown of new products and services for ecommerce merchants includes updates on agentic commerce, conversational shopping, customer feedback, cryptocurrencies, shipping tools, post-transaction ads, website builders, and autonomous site optimization.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email updates@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants

PayPal launches Agent Ready for AI-driven shopping. PayPal‘s new agentic payments solution, Agent Ready, enables merchants to accept payments on AI platforms. Whether for conversational AI or through browser-automated experiences, Agent Ready powers fraud detection, buyer protection, and dispute resolution. Also, PayPal is introducing Store Sync to make merchants’ product data discoverable within leading AI channels, and purchasable through partner integrations such as Wix, Cymbio, Commerce (BigCommerce and Feedonomics), and Shopware.

PayPal Agentic Commerce

OpenAI and PayPal partner on Instant Checkout and agentic commerce. PayPal will adopt the Agentic Commerce Protocol from OpenAI to expand payments in ChatGPT. Users can check out instantly with PayPal, which supports payment processing for merchants leveraging OpenAI Instant Checkout. The partnership opens PayPal’s wallet in Instant Checkout, offering funding options, buyer and seller protections, and post-purchase services. PayPal will also connect its merchant network to OpenAI, creating a platform for businesses and brands to sell within ChatGPT.

Amazon launches AI-powered shopping feature Help Me Decide. To help shoppers quickly choose between similar products, Amazon has announced a feature called Help Me Decide, which analyzes a shopper’s browsing activity, searches, purchase history, and preferences. Users can also access Help Me Decide by tapping “Keep shopping for” on the home page. Help Me Decide is available to U.S. consmers in the Amazon Shopping app and mobile browser.

Enterpret launches agentic customer feedback platform. Enterpret, a customer intelligence platform, has launched an agentic customer feedback tool to help companies resolve inquiries autonomously. According to Enterpret, the platform ingests feedback from more than 50 channels and continuously maps customer interactions across products, support, and community conversations. By replacing manual tagging and maintenance with adaptive AI, Enterpret enables teams to identify glitches affecting key customer segments, quantify potential revenue impact, and act in real time.

Enterpret

Bloomreach and Uniform unveil turnkey conversational commerce framework. Bloomreach, a personalization platform, and Uniform, a composable digital experience tool, have announced a turnkey AI solution that enables any brand to build conversational experiences. Built on AWS, the solution aggregates product catalogs from multiple commerce platforms through Uniform and enriches them with AI-driven tagging, normalization, and metadata optimization. The product data then flows into Bloomreach Clarity, where it powers a conversational shopping interface that allows consumers to browse, compare, and shop via natural dialogue.

WSPN launches Checkout, bringing stablecoin payments to ecommerce. Worldwide Stablecoin Payment Network, a provider of stablecoin infrastructure, has launched WSPN Checkout, a payment service that embeds stablecoin technology directly into ecommerce merchant acquiring. WSPN Checkout enables ecommerce platforms to accept stablecoin payments while offering flexible settlement options through licensed payment service providers. WSPN Checkout provides merchants with a complete payment infrastructure, featuring automated settlement, advanced reconciliation, and full API integration deployable within seven business days.

Shippo launches AI-powered tool to show when packages will arrive. Shippo, a shipping platform for ecommerce businesses, has launched Shippo Estimate, an AI-powered feature that estimates in advance when a package will arrive. Shippo Estimate analyzes millions of actual deliveries and shows clear, expected delivery dates for every package, allowing merchants to choose the optimal shipping option that balances speed and cost for every order. Shippo Estimate is available on the company’s Pro Plan.

Shippo

Rokt partners with PayPal on the post-transaction experience. Rokt has announced that its post-purchase ad platform now integrates with PayPal. This integration displays advertisements on thank-you pages across PayPal and Venmo, as well as on merchant confirmation pages through Honey, the shopping-rewards application. Rokt says it uses advanced machine learning to unlock incremental revenue and drive engagement by presenting customers with relevant, high-value curated offers the moment the transaction is completed.

Alibaba launches AI chatbot service. Alibaba has launched an AI chatbot service and integrated it into its Quark app, a platform that began as a browser and is now the company’s flagship consumer application. The new free service allows shoppers to access a chatbot via text or voice for real-time information and services.

Shopee partners with Meta to enhance shopping through Facebook Live, Reels. Shopee, a Singapore-based ecommerce marketplace, has partnered with Meta to develop tools for Facebook users to discover and purchase products. Creators with affiliate accounts can visit Facebook Affiliate Partnerships and curate relevant products and tag affiliate listings directly in posts and Reels. The partnership will also leverage Facebook Live, adding Collaborative Ads featuring Shopee product catalogs in livestreams. The integration is live in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Affirm expands partnership with Worldpay for Platforms on embedded payments. Affirm, a pay-over-time network, has partnered with Worldpay for Platforms, a payment services provider. The deal will integrate Affirm into Worldpay’s embedded payments offering. Platforms can offer Affirm as a payment method to their merchants. Approved customers can split purchases into biweekly or monthly payments, from 30 days to 60 months, from $35 to $30,000.

Worldpay for Platforms

AI-powered website builder Lovable integrates with Shopify. Lovable.dev, an AI-powered website builder, app developer, and designer using natural language prompts, has integrated with Shopify. Users can describe what they want to build, and Lovable will set it up — from product pages to shopping cart to checkout. Users can then claim the store on Shopify and publish.

Mastercard and PayPal partner on global agentic commerce. Mastercard Agent Pay, the company’s agentic payments platform, now integrates with PayPal’s wallet, enabling AI agents to complete transactions on behalf of PayPal users. PayPal will pilot the Mastercard Agent Pay Acceptance Framework and co-develop and test with agents and merchants. According to PayPal, the work will ensure compatibility with Mastercard and common agentic protocols, and enable AI agent verification and data exchange compatible with recently announced agentic protocols.

DHL launches consolidated clearance service for U.S. imports. DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of DHL Group, has launched its Consolidated Clearance Service for U.S. imports. Per DHL, the service offers a streamlined customs clearance process that consolidates multiple shipments under a single entry. It supports businesses transitioning from de minimis clearance for their U.S. imports to formal and informal entry.

Moonshot AI raises $10 million for AI-driven autonomous website optimization. Moonshot AI, a no-code website optimization platform, has announced $10 million in seed funding. Moonshot says its platform continuously analyzes user behavior, generates on-site experiences using generative AI, tests them live, and deploys optimized experiences automatically. Mighty Capital led the round, which included Oceans Ventures, Uncorrelated, Garuda Ventures, and Almaz Capital.

Moonshot AI

ChatGPT Atlas Pushes Agentic Browsing

It is official. The humble web browser is now an AI agent, too, and it will almost certainly impact ecommerce.

When it announced a new browser, Atlas, on October 21, OpenAI confirmed the latest trend in artificial intelligence. AI companies are building models directly into the primary internet experience. These AI browsers summarize pages, compare options, and complete tasks without leaving a tab. They produce, in a sense, a new kind of zero-click.

AI browsers such as Atlas summarize pages, compare options, and complete tasks without leaving a tab.

Agentic Browsing

ChatGPT Atlas is not the first. Perplexity’s Comet, The Browser Company’s Dia, and Sigma are part of the same emerging class of AI-assisted — or perhaps AI-first — browsers, designed to transform the internet from a landscape of links into a unified workspace.

Incumbent browser makers are not to be left out. Google Chrome, Opera Neon, Brave, and Edge Copilot all offer various blends of AI and browsing.

Together, these agentic browsers signal a redefinition of how people move from search to purchase. Instead of typing a query, clicking results, and hopping from one merchant to another, users could stay inside the viewport as their browser does the work.

To be sure, this change is part of the emerging agentic commerce industry. OpenAI’s release makes these changes seem much more imminent.

Then and Soon to Be

For nearly 30 years, the online buying journey has followed the same path and pattern, a combination of impression, click, browse, product page, cart, checkout.

Every stage of that journey generated a data signal and an opportunity for advertisers and marketers to target a keyword, insert a bid, or buy a sponsored listing. Search engine optimization, retargeting, and affiliate links fed the sequence.

Some of these steps are fundamental — or at least we think they are. Other patterns will change.

3 Models

A just-released McKinsey & Company report, “The agentic commerce opportunity,” described three possible shopping flows.

• Agent to site, where the AI agent sends shoppers directly to the merchant. This pattern is the most familiar.

• Agent to agent. Here, a personal AI agent or AI browser helps a shopper find products before passing that customer to a dedicated vendor agent to complete the transaction.

• Brokered, a more complicated form of the agent-to-agent model, wherein a broker agent and one or more vendor agents interact. Don’t be surprised if this model turns into an advertising or revenue-sharing engine.

Each model described in the McKinsey report removes one or more human clicks from the journey.

Three models from McKinsey & Company demonstrate how AI agents might connect buyers to sellers. Click image to enlarge.

The scale could be immense. McKinsey estimated that agent-mediated shopping revenue in five years could reach $1 trillion in the United States and $5 trillion worldwide.

Plus, about half of consumers already use AI in search, and 44% say that AI has become their preferred method of finding information, according to McKinsey.

Concerns

Sellers should take notice anytime a new, disruptive technology, such as agentic browsers, changes shopping behavior.

It is vital to understand how sales work if shoppers never visit a product page. Or how will funnels be measured? How will affiliates or ad platforms function? How is shopper loyalty impacted?

An AI browser with a built-in assistant could compress and obscure the buyer’s journey. Retailers might experience sharp declines in web traffic even as overall sales remain stable or rise.

All of these questions are valid and important. In fact, the degree to which a business considers and plans for this change could be related to its ability to thrive.

Opportunity

A browser that acts on behalf of the customer can become a powerful distribution channel for ecommerce sellers.

Agentic commerce and AI-assisted browsers could become potent sources of first-party data. And that could lead to new levels of personalization and, yes, ad targeting akin to McKinsey’s “brokered” model above.

Agentic commerce and browsers should also make shopping easier for consumers. For example, an automated checkout process might all but eliminate the need to type credit card numbers or a shipping address.

Intelligent comparisons might drive more qualified sales, rewarding merchants who compete on quality instead of keyword spend. The same data infrastructure that powers agents can improve fulfillment, pricing, and customer service.

Relatively small brands that structure product data well or that have positive product reviews might appear alongside giants, their offers surfaced by relevance rather than ad budgets.

Ecommerce merchants should not fear the agent but prepare for it. The browser may soon do more than display content. It could recommend items and consummate their purchase.

—

This video by Sam Witteveen, an 11-year veteran of deep learning and LLMs, provides a helpful perspective:

New Ecommerce Tools: October 22, 2025

Every week we handpick a list of new products and services for ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on generative engine optimization, agentic commerce, cryptocurrencies, embedded payments, website builders, customer data tools, and product experience management.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email updates@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants

Introducing Syndigo OpenAI Connect and Syndigo GEO for agentic commerce. Syndigo, a provider of product experience management and syndication tools, has launched Syndigo OpenAI Connect and Syndigo Generative Engine Optimization to promote visibility, conversion, and loyalty in AI shopping. The offerings enable companies to publish content directly into ChatGPT using OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol specifications, making it easier for large language models to surface products and reach shoppers.

Syndigo

ACI Worldwide and BitPay partner on crypto and stablecoin payments. ACI Worldwide, a provider of global payments technology, has partnered with BitPay, a cryptocurrency payments processor, expanding the digital asset features for merchants and payment service providers via its Payments Orchestration platform. Merchants and PSPs can integrate BitPay, alongside other payment options, including the ability to accept, store, and spend stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies. BitPay’s platform also supports peer-to-peer payments and mobile point-of-sale applications.

MoonPay launches crypto payments service. MoonPay, a provider of blockchain-based infrastructures, has launched MoonPay Commerce, a platform for businesses to accept crypto payments worldwide. MoonPay Commerce enables users to set up checkouts, subscriptions, and deposits, offering real-time insights and customizable tools to create branded payment experiences. MoonPay Commerce also powers and maintains the Solana Pay integration for Shopify.

Commerce introduces BigCommerce Payments powered by PayPal. Commerce, parent company of BigCommerce and Feedonomics, has announced an embedded payment processing tool, powered by PayPal, to launch in 2026 in the U.S. BigCommerce merchants can gain access to advanced payment capabilities, simplified account management, and buy-now pay-later via PayPal’s Pay Later feature, all managed within the BigCommerce control panel. Features of BigCommerce Payments include real-time balance insights, top-ups and payouts, bank and card connections, and currency management.

Commerce launches Feedonomics Surface for D2C and B2B feed management. Commerce has also launched Feedonomics Surface, a tool that simplifies and automates the connection of product catalogs to advertising channels such as Google Shopping and Meta. Feedonomics Surface provides merchants with data optimization and automation tools to improve their return on advertising spend. Users can create, manage, and synchronize product feeds without extensive technical knowledge.

Feedonomics Surface

10Web launches AI-Powered frontend builder with WordPress backend. 10Web, a developer, has launched Vibe for WordPress, an AI-native frontend builder with a WordPress backend. According to 10Web, Vibe for WordPress converts natural language prompts into WordPress websites and applications. Users describe their project, such as a landing page or a multi-page site, and the platform generates a version in minutes.

Cryptocurrency platform Coinbase launches commercial payment tools. Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, has introduced two commercial payment tools: global payouts and payment links. With global payouts, businesses can send or email USDC (a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar) for cross-border payments, funded from platform balances or a connected bank account. With payment links, businesses can create a shareable link to request a specific amount in USDC. Customers can use that link to pay.

Grapes Studio launches AI-powered, HTML-first site builder. Grapes Studio, a website builder, has launched with an AI-powered, HTML-first editor that lets users copy and rebuild existing sites in minutes. Users can import their websites directly into the editor, then drag, drop, or ask the AI to make targeted updates, such as “add a pricing section” or “match this to our brand colors.” Users can switch seamlessly between AI assistance and hands-on drag-and-drop editing. Open Core Ventures funded the platform.

Product management platform Salsify releases AI-powered ecommerce tools. Salsify, a product experience platform, has created Angie, a conversational AI assistant to help brands navigate the Salsify platform, knowledge base, and customer configurations. Salsify has also launched its OpenAI syndication channel to help brands power agentic experiences through ChatGPT using the Agentic Commerce Protocol. The channel will provide OpenAI with an authoritative source of product data directly from brands, to surface goods in search and shopping experiences.

Salsify

Mastercard launches Merchant Cloud to support global commerce. Mastercard has announced Merchant Cloud, a payments platform that unifies services from Mastercard and its partners, helping businesses navigate and expand worldwide commerce. The platform offers scheme-agnostic solutions for credential tokenization, guest checkout, fraud protection, identity verification, and approval rate optimization. It also provides gateway services, such as omnichannel experiences, efficient transaction routing, and access to data insights, along with capabilities to conduct agentic payments securely.

Rokt mParticle launches customer data platform on Snowflake AI Data Cloud. Rokt mParticle, a real-time customer data platform, has launched its Hybrid CPD on Snowflake AI Data Cloud, providing enterprise companies with real-time activation and cloud-native flexibility. According to Rokt, with the hybrid CDP, enterprises can choose the right data strategy for every need, whether responding to customer behavior or running large-scale campaigns directly from a cloud data platform.

Salesforce announces support for Agentic Commerce Protocol. Salesforce has partnered with Stripe and OpenAI to build an Instant Checkout integration guided by the Agentic Commerce Protocol. The Protocol, co-developed by Stripe and OpenAI, provides a standardized framework for brands to interact with consumers through AI agents and facilitate a quick checkout. This partnership will allow merchants using Salesforce’s Agentforce Commerce to harness conversational AI and intelligent shopping experiences. Buyers can pay using various methods, including Link, Stripe’s consumer payments product.

FiS introduces Smart Basket for real-time purchase intelligence. FiS, a financial technology platform, has announced Smart Basket, a real-time, item-level engine and transaction gateway. Smart Basket analyzes an individual’s shopping behavior to apply optimal rewards and payment methods at checkout. The tool leverages three components within FiS’s ecosystem: the real-time payments gateway, loyalty platform, and filtered spend.

FiS

New Ecommerce Tools: October 15, 2025

This week’s rundown includes products and services for AI-powered advertising, email marketing, AI agents for shopping and B2B, social commerce, one-click payments, cryptocurrencies, personalization platforms, and ecommerce deliveries.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants

GoDaddy brings AI-powered ads to entrepreneurs. GoDaddy has expanded the digital ads feature on its Airo platform to nine English-language markets: Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. GoDaddy Airo drafts persuasive ad copy, selects relevant keywords based on the offering, and structures the campaign. Users can launch campaigns and track performance all within the digital ads dashboard.

GoDaddy Airo

Visa introduces Trusted Agent Protocol for AI commerce. Visa has unveiled Trusted Agent Protocol, a foundational framework for agentic commerce that enables secure transaction communication between AI agents and merchants. According to Visa, Trusted Agent Protocol addresses consumer challenges of searching, comparing, and paying by identifying trusted agents with commerce intent and distinguishing them from malicious bots. Trusted Agent Protocol is available in the Visa Developer Center and GitHub.

Adobe introduces AI Agents for B2B businesses. Adobe has released AI agents for B2B sales and marketing teams, simplifying buying cycles and leveraging engagement insights to make informed decisions. Adobe Experience Platform Agent Orchestrator powers the agents — Audience, Journey, and Data Insights — which surface in enterprise apps such as Adobe’s Journey Optimizer B2B Edition and its Customer Journey Analytics B2B Edition.

Intuit Mailchimp unveils new marketing tools for holidays. Intuit Mailchimp has released new features for improved Shopify integration, smarter segmentation tools, advanced ecommerce analytics, global and multi-audience SMS capabilities, and a refreshed email template library. The updated Shopify integration unlocks deeper behavioral insights and new triggers, such as product views, checkout started, page views, and search terms. Additional capabilities include single-use Shopify discount codes and expanded segmentation.

Intuit Mailchimp

Commercetools previews Cora, an AI shopping companion. Commercetools, an ecommerce platform, has announced a preview of Cora, an AI-native and multimodal shopping companion. Cora shows how enterprises can deliver human-like continuity across web, mobile, WhatsApp, and other channels. According to Commercetools, shoppers can begin a journey on one device and continue it on another without losing context or progress, giving enterprises a branded companion they control.

Walmart partners with OpenAI on shopping experiences. Walmart has announced a partnership with OpenAI, allowing customers to shop at Walmart through ChatGPT using Instant Checkout. Walmart is empowering employees with AI tools, training, and literacy through OpenAI Certifications, and it is rolling out ChatGPT Enterprise to teams across the company.

Ecommerce delivery platform Veho expands in U.S. markets. Veho, a parcel delivery platform, has expanded its capacity by 50% in select U.S. markets, including Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Atlanta, and in other areas by expanding or collaborating with 3PLs. Veho will now have a second distribution center in 10 of its markets.

Veho

Checkout.com launches Flow Remember Me, a one-click payment tool. Checkout.com, a payments provider, has launched Flow Remember Me, an extension of its basic Flow offering that allows shoppers to save their card details once and then use them across Checkout.com’s global network of merchants. Flow offers customizable, ready-to-deploy payment components, enabling 35 payment methods through a single integration with Checkout.com’s network in 194 countries.

Shipping platform Shippo launches TikTok Shop integration. Shippo, a shipping platform for ecommerce businesses, now integrates with TikTok Shop. The integration automatically imports TikTok Shop orders into Shippo, creates discounted shipping labels, and syncs tracking information back to TikTok. The integration allows merchants to meet TikTok’s 2-business-day dispatch requirement with discounted rates, select carriers, and live support, alongside orders from Shopify, Amazon, and Walmart, all in a single dashboard.

Canopy Management acquires Area 6 Marketing for D2C brands. Canopy Management, a marketing agency for sellers on Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok, has announced its acquisition of Area 6 Marketing, an agency specializing in growing Shopify and Amazon brands through Meta and Google advertising. Canopy Management says clients will benefit from Area 6’s expertise in scaling D2C brands across fashion, beauty, health, and wellness verticals.

Canopy Management

Splitit launches BNPL partner program for agentic commerce. Splitit, an installment payments developer, has launched an invite-only program for buy-now pay-later capabilities on agentic shopping. Splitit states its Agentic Commerce Partner Program brings card-linked installment capabilities to autonomous shopping agents, those that search, recommend, and purchase on behalf of consumers. Registered AI agents can request real-time installment options directly within merchant checkout flows. Splitit’s new program aligns with emerging industry frameworks such as Google’s AP2 and OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol.

Ordoro and Zing partner to help merchants build fast and ship smarter. Ordoro, a platform for ecommerce operations, has partnered with Zing, a developer. Per the companies, Zing helps brands launch stores and mobile apps, while Ordoro powers inventory, shipping, and order management. The partnership aims to help merchants grow and scale.

Block debuts Square Bitcoin payment and wallet tools for local businesses. Block, owner of the Square point-of-sale platform, has introduced Square Bitcoin, an integrated payments and wallet tool. A component, Bitcoin Conversions, enables sellers to automatically convert a percentage of their daily card sales into bitcoin. Bitcoin Wallet, built natively into Square, lets sellers manage bitcoin alongside their finances, with buy, sell, hold, and withdrawal functionality integrated into the dashboard.

Nosto introduces Huginn, an AI agent for its personalization platform. Nosto, a user experience platform, has launched Huginn, an AI agent built to transform how brands run digital commerce. Huginn resides in Nosto’s core Commerce Experience Platform, designed to reduce manual work, accelerate execution, and deliver growth. According to Nosto, Huginn coordinates a network of trained, specialized AI agents that suggest and execute actions, providing insights, actions, search, contextual shopping, product suggestions, and more.

Nosto

New Ecommerce Tools: October 9, 2025

Every week we publish a handpicked list of new products and services for ecommerce merchants. This installment includes updates on shoppable ads, reverse logistics, customizable agents, cross-border delivery, generative engine optimization, conversational search, and more.

Got an ecommerce product release? Email releases@practicalecommerce.com.

New Tools for Merchants

Snapchat and Woo announce ad manager integration. Snapchat has launched an integration with WooCommerce, wherein merchants can build shoppable ads inside the Snapchat Ads Manager. The integration syncs a Woo merchant‘s entire product catalog with Ads Manager in one click. Merchants can also set up Snap Pixel and the Conversions API, which provide data for ad targeting and optimization.

Snapchat and Woo.

Squarespace and Perplexity partner for business creation in the AI era. Squarespace, a platform to build businesses online, and Perplexity, a generative AI engine, have partnered to help companies launch and grow in an AI-powered internet. Squarespace will serve as the website building and hosting partner for Perplexity‘s browser, Comet, helping entrepreneurs move from AI-powered research to launch, including guidance on domain registration, brand development, and design recommendations directly through Comet’s conversational interface.

Bloq.it launches Drop for reverse logistics. Bloq.it, a provider of out-of-home delivery, has launched Drop, a standalone drop-off solution to streamline returns. The drop-off device features a single slot for handovers, a built-in label printer, a QR and barcode reader, and a 10-inch color touchscreen to guide users through the process. When the drop-off is full, Drop sends a notification for a pickup, and couriers collect a single bag.

OpenAI introduces AgentKit to standardize building agents. OpenAI has launched AgentKit, a set of three tools to build, deploy, and optimize AI agents. According to OpenAI, developers can now design workflows visually and embed agentic UIs using building blocks. Agent Builder is a visual canvas for creating and versioning multi-agent workflows. ChatKit is for embedding customizable chat-based agent experiences. Connector Registry manages how data and tools connect across OpenAI products.

OpenAI’s AgentKit

Hellmann and SkyNet partner on cross-border logistics. Hellmann Worldwide Logistics and SkyNet Worldwide Express have partnered on a cross-border ecommerce logistics service, including warehousing, fulfillment, re-fulfillment, B2C deliveries, and returns management. According to the companies, combining Hellmann’s global freight capabilities with SkyNet’s experience in B2C delivery and partnerships with global retailers enables seamless digital integration, advanced customs clearance, and reliable last-mile operations. The service will be available initially for shippers in the E.U. or U.K., and then rolled out globally.

PayPal Ads Manager enables SMBs to leverage retail media. PayPal has launched Ads Manager, allowing small businesses to become their own retail media network. With no upfront cost and no minimum commitment, PayPal Ads Manager enables SMBs to opt in, integrate the software development kit, and select their advertising preferences. PayPal will then automatically place and serve the relevant ads based on those preferences and other factors. Businesses can control their performance within the PayPal Merchant Portal.

American Express unveils Amex Ads to connect card members to brands. American Express has launched Amex Ads, a digital advertising platform to help brands connect with American Express’s U.S. consumer card members. Beginning on AmexTravel.com and expanding to additional Amex-owned platforms, brands can serve high-spending card members timely contextual ads through a suite of digital media ad formats and backed by sophisticated measurement tools.

Pattern launches free GEO scorecard. Pattern, an ecommerce accelerator, has launched a free generative engine optimization scorecard to help brands understand how platforms such as ChatGPT showcase their products. The new tool provides brands with a score reflecting their brand’s presence in AI-driven commerce, a competitive analysis that benchmarks their standing against key competitors, and a prioritized list of actionable recommendations to improve content, sentiment, and ranking on genAI platforms.

Pattern’s GEO Scorecard

Aspire partners with Instagram for AI-powered conversational search. Aspire.io, a word-of-mouth commerce platform, has launched AI Instagram Discovery. Powered by Instagram’s first-party creator marketplace API, the tool enables brands to find high-performing creators via conversational AI search, advanced filters, lookalike recommendations, and richer performance data. Brands can narrow results to surface similar creators, track engagement KPIs, and evaluate candidates based on verified brand collaboration history.

eBay launches AI Activate program with OpenAI. eBay has launched AI Activate, providing small U.K. businesses with funded access to custom AI productivity tools and training. Developed in collaboration with OpenAI, the program is available to commercial eBay sellers. The program will offer access to ChatGPT Enterprise for up to 12 months. Additional support will include a dedicated eBay team to develop custom GPTs with sellers.

Meta debuts customizable AI agent for brands. Meta has unveiled Business AI, a customized AI agent for brands to guide shoppers and answer questions within the brands’ Meta ads and on their own websites. According to Meta, a brand can train Business AI on its offerings via Meta social posts, ad campaigns, product catalogs, and website content.

Yottaa launches interactive benchmarking tool for ecommerce. Yottaa, a website speed optimizer, has launched a new version of its Web Performance Index, which aggregates site performance data from over 500 million shopper sessions across 700 leading ecommerce brands. According to Yottaa, the enhanced Index reflects ongoing, commerce-specific site performance across Core Web Vitals, page load speed, bounce rate, and conversion indicators, filterable by industry, platform, and device.

Yottaa

Agentic Commerce Has Arrived

AI shopping agents, once a combination of novelty and hype, are becoming a viable ecommerce sales channel.

Last month, Google and Stripe announced new shopping and payment processing tools for AI-related purchases.

Standards

Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and Stripe’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) offer a degree of transaction standards for agent-based commerce.

That standard addresses concerns about turning AI-driven discovery into sales while keeping payments safe and authorized.

For example, how does a merchant know if a human authorized an AI agent to make a purchase? Who is responsible if the buyer contests it?

Once a novelty, AI shopping agents are becoming a reality for consumers.

Google’s AP2

AP2 seeks to answer those questions. The protocol provides a framework for authenticating and validating AI-led transactions, enabling banks, merchants, and consumers to trust the outcome.

The solution uses what Google called “tamper-proof, cryptographically-signed digital” mandates with verifiable credentials.

A mandate is a digital contract between the shopper and her AI agent. It proves what she asked the agent to do and under what conditions. That mandate then becomes the evidence that merchants and payment providers can rely on if she disputes the transaction.

AP2 documents the mandate when, for instance, a shopper tells an AI interface to buy a pair of blue, size 10 men’s running shoes. Thus AP2 could be a foundation for agentic commerce that payment networks, regulators, and retailers can accept as legitimate.

Stripe’s ACP

While AP2 focuses on trust and authorization, Stripe’s Agentic Commerce Protocol focuses on turning conversations into transactions. ACP provides merchants with a way to present products, pricing, and checkout information in a format usable by AI agents.

Behind the scenes, Stripe issues a Shared Payment Token that passes payment details from the AI agent to the merchant without exposing the shopper’s credentials. The order itself flows into the merchant’s backend via ACP to be accepted and fulfilled, like any other ecommerce order, which the buyer can return later.

Stripe launched ACP alongside its Instant Checkout in ChatGPT. U.S.-based Etsy sellers are the first participants, with Shopify merchants expected to follow. A shopper asks ChatGPT for recommendations, chooses a product, and completes payment through a Stripe-powered checkout without leaving the chat.

Implications

New technologies often create both opportunities and challenges. For merchants, agentic commerce is no exception.

A promising opportunity may lie in latent demand. Shoppers sometimes want to buy a product, but the item is out of stock, too expensive, or takes too long to ship. A simple search doesn’t result in a sale.

An AI shopping agent could scour dozens or even hundreds of merchant sites and feeds, identifying the proper product at the right price, which the consumer would have otherwise missed. This solves the latent demand.

Yet instantly comparing prices, shipping rates, and product availability across many merchants creates intense competition. That’s the challenge.

It could even lead to platform pressure, where merchants are present on multiple channels — Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, eBay, and others — to access the dozens of AI shopping portals.

Permission Marketing

Imagine a shopper prompting an AI agent to “look for noise-canceling headphones less than $200, and buy them if they go on sale during Black Friday.”

The agent monitors products, validates prices, and executes purchases automatically. The scenario — an AI agent shopping for a human — is futuristic, but is also familiar to those old enough.

In his 1999 book, “Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends, and Friends into Customers,” Seth Godin argued that interruption marketing — television commercials, display ads, email promos — was losing its effectiveness. Businesses needed consumer consent to build ongoing relationships. Permission, not promotion, was the key.

Shoppers who allowed merchants to execute purchases on their behalf were Godin’s ultimate example of trust.

Agentic Permission

In all likelihood, agentic commerce will depend on the same foundation Godin described a generation ago: trust and consent.

The key will be how ecommerce businesses react when algorithms programmatically select and buy products.

Permission marketing, such as opt-in email, forced merchants to rethink customer relationships. Similarly, agentic commerce could require merchants to prove reliability, value, and transparency.

Success may hinge less on who has the flashiest storefront and more on which merchants provide the cleanest data, fairest pricing, and the most dependable fulfillment for AI agents to recognize.