Shopify opens its catalog up to more AI agents

Shopify announced Tuesday that it will allow shoppers to configure AI agents to purchase products on their behalf, giving more agents access to over a billion listings in its catalog, which includes items both on and off Shopify storefronts. Previously, in September, Shopify partnered with Meta to let its Muse agent browse and purchase items for a human; now, shoppers can use any agent without a partnership integration. To set up the feature, customers connect an agent with their account on Shop, a Shopify-owned platform that consolidates orders, tracks packages, and recommends products. Like the Muse partnership, customers use one-click Shop Pay to check out within the conversation with the agent, and orders are funneled back to the Shop app. Shopify markets the feature as a "personal shopper" that users can give rules to, such as budget guardrails or displaying only products with fast shipping, and buyers must approve each purchase. This move reflects the growing battleground of agentic commerce, with tech giants like Google and Amazon investing in AI-driven shopping tools, and ongoing disputes such as Amazon versus Perplexity and Meta's Muse over whether agents should be able to shop on a customer's behalf.

(Source：The Verge)