Shopify Opens Store Checkouts to AI Agents

Shopify has announced that it is now allowing AI agents to complete purchases on its platform, according to a September 28, 2023 article on LinkedIn by Gil Greenberg, a staff product manager for checkout at Shopify. This advancement builds on the platform's existing support for WebMCP, which enables agents to search products, browse collections, and add items to a cart.

Now, the expanded WebMCP support for checkout allows agents to read, update, and submit the checkout process with the buyer's authorization, including using Shopify's Shop Pay. Greenberg explained to builders of browser agents that Shopify's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) provides structured commerce APIs, enabling agents to discover products, build carts, and checkout.

This announcement follows Shopify's partnership with Meta to enable its Muse agent to shop and check out with Shop Pay on all Shopify stores. Shopify also announced that Instinct's personal agent can now browse Shopify's merchant network for products and complete checkout with Shop Pay, setting up orders using saved payment and shipping details.

According to a PYMNTS Intelligence report titled "Global Digital Shopping Index: The Agentic Commerce Deep Dive," 56% of consumers are willing to let an agent search and compare products on their behalf, while 35% will grant an agent access to their saved payment credentials. The report suggests that decisions made now regarding standards, liability, certification, and infrastructure investment will determine which companies will be well-positioned as the agentic commerce shift accelerates in the coming years.