Optimising Checkout for AI-Driven and Agentic Commerce

Ecommerce is entering its next evolution: AI-driven and agent-assisted buying.

From AI shopping assistants to automated reorders and agentic workflows, more purchases will soon be initiated, or completed, by software acting on behalf of customers.

For brands, this raises an important question:
Is your checkout ready for AI-driven commerce?

What Is Agentic Commerce?

Agentic commerce refers to AI systems that:

• Make purchase decisions
• Execute transactions
• Optimise orders based on rules, preferences, or past behaviour

Instead of browsing products manually, customers increasingly rely on AI to:

• Reorder essentials
• Optimise baskets for price or shipping
• Choose add-ons based on context

Checkout becomes the execution layer.

Why Checkout Is Critical in AI-Driven Commerce

AI agents don’t respond to branding or persuasion, they respond to:

• Clear structure
• Predictable rules
• Consistent logic

That means checkout must be:

• Fast and deterministic
• Free of unnecessary blockers
• Structured in a way that machines can reliably complete

Poor checkout logic doesn’t just hurt humans, it breaks automation.

How Checkout Needs to Evolve

To support AI-driven buying, checkout should:

• Clearly surface shipping thresholds and fees
• Apply promotions predictably
• Avoid ambiguous or conflicting messaging
• Offer structured, relevant upsells (not random offers)

Relevance becomes even more important when decisions are automated.

Checkout Components and AI-Ready Checkout

Checkout Components supports AI-ready checkout by:

• Using rule-based logic that is predictable and consistent
• Displaying upsells based on cart context and intent
• Ensuring messaging is clear and structured across markets and languages
• Maintaining performance and reliability at scale

This creates a checkout that works equally well for humans and machines.

Why This Matters Now

AI commerce isn’t theoretical, it’s already influencing:

• Subscription behaviour
• Replenishment models
• Assisted shopping experiences

Brands that optimise checkout now will be better positioned as AI takes on more of the purchase journey.

Key Takeaway

In an AI-driven future, checkout isn’t just for customers, it’s for agents.

The brands that win will be the ones with checkout experiences that are clear, predictable, and optimised for both.