Agentic Commerce & Shopify Catalog API: The next step in Online Retail

Agentic commerce is changing how customers discover and purchase products. Instead of laboriously clicking through categories and filters, AI-powered agents take over the search: they understand natural language, access real-time product data, and suggest suitable options. With the Shopify Catalog API, this future model of autonomous commerce is already within reach today, opening up completely new opportunities for merchants in e-commerce.

What is Agentic Commerce?

Agentic commerce describes a new form of online retail in which AI-powered agents actively act on behalf of customers. They search product catalogs, compare prices, check availability, and suggest suitable items—all in real time. Users no longer have to click through countless categories, but can simply formulate their wishes in natural language, for example: “Find me a pair of running shoes, size 43, under $120.”

This not only changes the product search, but also the entire shopping experience: faster, more relevant, and often much more convenient. Instead of trying out keywords or setting filters yourself, the agent takes care of the entire search logic. It understands complex, multi-step queries and directly delivers a suitable selection. Not only are basic attributes such as size or color taken into account, but also context, budget, style preferences, and previous purchasing behavior.

How does Agentic Commerce work?

Technology and processes

• Language models (LLMs): Understand natural language queries and translate them into structured search queries.

• Catalog APIs: Provide product data in real time—prices, inventory, variants, and descriptions.

• Universal Cart: Users can collect products from different stores in a single shopping cart.

• Checkout Kit: Seamlessly transfers the order to the respective Shopify store, including branding and payment options.

Real-world example

With its integration into Perplexity, Shopify shows how agentic commerce can already become a reality: Customers can search for products directly via the platform and receive up-to-date results from Shopify stores across the entire Shopify ecosystem – without having to use a traditional browser search.

Currently, this feature is only available in early access by invitation from Shopify, but it already shows where Shopify is headed.

Shopify as a driver: The Catalog API

The Shopify Catalog API is a machine-readable interface that provides real-time access to product information from all Shopify stores. This makes it easier for AI platforms and other applications to discover products and retrieve detailed data such as titles, prices, and inventory levels. The API also provides enriched attributes generated by Shopify AI models. This improves product discoverability in AI-powered searches and when creating personalized shopping experiences.

Real-time product data

The Shopify Catalog API provides:

• Product information such as title, description, variants

• Real-time availability and pricing

• Enriched attributes such as color, material, or size

• Standardized categories through machine learning

Why this is a game changer:

• Timeliness: No outdated feeds or manual updates

• Accuracy: Agents can immediately check whether a variant is available

• Scalability: One central feed for many platforms

Getting started with Perplexity

Perplexity is the first partner to access products via the Catalog API. For merchants, this means greater visibility on a platform that specializes in accurate, real-time answers.

Advantages and risks of Agentic Commerce

Advantages

• Greater visibility: Products appear in new, AI-supported channels.

• Higher relevance: Cleanly maintained data increases the likelihood of being recommended.

• Fewer errors: Real-time data reduces pricing or inventory errors.

• Brand control: Checkout continues to run through your own shop.

• New sales opportunities: You position yourself early in a growing market segment.

Risks and challenges

• Data quality: Incomplete titles or missing attributes reduce the chances of being found.

• Loss of control: Agents make decisions that do not always align with retailer goals.

• Risk of abuse: Price comparison bots or competitors could manipulate the results.

• Effort: Product data maintenance and integration require resources.

• Data protection: The handling of user preferences must be GDPR-compliant.

Comparison of trading models: Traditional Commerce vs Programmatic Commerce vs Agentic Commerce

Shopify Agentic Commerce: How to take advantage of the opportunities

1. Optimize product data: Fill in titles, descriptions, and meta fields completely.

2. Check category assignments: Correct taxonomy increases visibility.

3. Ensure participation: Shops are automatically listed in the catalog as long as products are published.

4. Preserve brand experience: Checkout with appealing design and clear information.

5. Monitoring: Check which products perform well via agents and continuously optimize them

Outlook: Where is Agentic Commerce headed?

Agentic commerce is still in its infancy, but development is progressing rapidly. More and more platforms such as Amazon, TikTok, and ChatGPT could integrate their own agentic commerce functions in the future, opening up new sales channels. The checkout process will also change: instead of using traditional redirects, orders could be completed entirely in chat or in an app. At the same time, AI-powered advice will become more personalized – from virtual style consultants who give individual recommendations to budget assistants who tailor purchases to financial possibilities. At the same time, new rules for data protection and transparency are emerging that retailers need to keep an eye on. And last but not least, marketing will have to adapt, because when agents take over product search and discovery, attribution will have to be rethought and measured differently.

Conclusion

Agentic Commerce is not a distant trend, but already a reality. Shopify in particular is driving this development forward with its Catalog API. This offers enormous opportunities for retailers: greater visibility, higher conversion rates, and access to innovative sales channels. Those who invest now in clean product data and clear processes are laying the foundation for remaining visible and successful in the future of autonomous commerce.