{ "id": 11035, "date": "2026-04-22T11:38:34", "date_gmt": "2026-04-22T11:38:34", "guid": { "rendered": "https:\/\/neortus.com\/?p=11035" }, "modified": "2026-05-13T08:57:17", "modified_gmt": "2026-05-13T08:57:17", "slug": "agentic-commerce-hype-or-hard-reality", "status": "publish", "type": "post", "link": "https:\/\/neortus.com\/en\/agentic-commerce-hype-or-hard-reality\/", "title": { "rendered": "Agentic commerce: hype or hard reality?" }, "content": { "rendered": "
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Agentic commerce: hype or hard reality?<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Marco Flapper | 13-05-2026<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t
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You have probably seen the term pop up everywhere. In whitepapers, on LinkedIn, at conferences: agentic commerce. And as tends to happen with these kinds of terms, everyone is talking about it, but when you ask what it actually means, the answers get vague.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understandable. Because agentic commerce is simultaneously very concrete and still largely under development. Forrester, one of the most authoritative research firms in digital business, puts it plainly: agentic commerce “only sort of exists.” And yet Amazon, Walmart, Google, Mastercard and dozens of other major players are investing massively in it right now.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what exactly is it? Should you be doing something about it already? And if you are not, are you falling behind? This article gives you an honest and clear overview, without buzzwords and without panic.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What makes something ‘agentic’?
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Artificial intelligence is not a monolithic concept. Under the broad AI umbrella sit several distinct layers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Machine learning<\/strong> learns from data and makes predictions. Deep learning<\/strong> recognises complex patterns in speech, images and text. Generative AI<\/strong>, the technology behind ChatGPT, creates new content based on everything it has previously seen. Agentic AI<\/strong> adds something fundamental on top of that: autonomous action. An agentic system sets its own goals, makes decisions and carries out actions, without a human needing to approve every step.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The crucial difference is therefore not what the AI knows or can create, but what the AI does. A chatbot that answers questions? Not agentic. An AI that independently compares products, negotiates a discount and places an order? That is agentic.<\/p>\n

So what exactly is agentic commerce?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Agentic commerce is the model in which AI agents independently carry out actions throughout the purchasing process, on behalf of consumers, businesses, or both.<\/p>\n

Consider this scenario: you tell your AI assistant ‘Find me the best laptop for video editing under $1,500, with fast delivery.’ By the time your coffee is ready, the agent has compared hundreds of options, analysed reviews, checked availability and placed the order. You have not visited a single website.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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This is the essence of agentic commerce. Not a smarter search bar. Not a chatbot that redirects you to a FAQ. A system that understands your intent and handles everything from start to finish.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What is already happening in practice?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Full agentic commerce, where an AI agent completes a purchase entirely on its own, is still the exception rather than the rule. But the movement is unmistakable:<\/p>\n