Selling directly through an AI conversation is becoming one of the next major shifts in ecommerce.
For most UK retailers, AI shopping is not yet a mainstream self-serve sales channel you can simply switch on today. But the direction is clear: customers are already using AI tools to research products, compare options and make purchase decisions. The next step is completing the order in the same conversation.
That is why Base is already preparing for this new channel, so your store can be ready when AI shopping becomes widely available.
Episode 5 of 7 in the AI in Base series. Every two weeks, we present one AI feature in Base that helps reduce manual work for you and your team. We are getting closer to the end of the series — next episode: 15 September.
Agentic Commerce is a model where an AI agent, such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot, does more than recommend products. It can find a product, compare offers and help the customer complete a purchase directly within the conversation.
Having trouble viewing the video? Watch it directly on YouTube: AI Agentic Commerce
What this could look like in practice
Find me running shoes under £100 for road running — that could be enough for an AI assistant to search the market, compare options and help complete the purchase in a single chat window.
No jumping between tabs. No lengthy forms. From the customer’s perspective, it is one conversation. From your perspective, it is a new sales channel where the quality of your product data matters more than how your website looks.
In this model, the AI agent is not browsing your store in the same way a person does. It is reading structured product information: product names, descriptions, attributes, availability, pricing, delivery options and returns rules.
That means clean, complete and well-structured product data becomes even more important.
What is happening in Agentic Commerce?
A new sales channel is taking shape quickly. Here is the situation as of September 2026.
OpenAI and ChatGPT
OpenAI introduced Instant Checkout in ChatGPT, powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol, or ACP, co-developed with Stripe. The first rollout focused on US ChatGPT users buying from US Etsy sellers, with more merchants and regions planned. OpenAI describes ACP as an open standard that allows AI agents, people and businesses to work together to complete purchases, while merchants remain responsible for orders, payments, fulfillment and customer relationships.
Google Search and Gemini
Google is developing agentic shopping through the Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP, and its Universal Cart experience. Universal Cart is being rolled out across Search and Gemini in the US first, with UCP-powered checkout expanding to Canada and Australia, and later to the UK.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft has launched Copilot Checkout in the US, with partner activation across PayPal, Shopify and Stripe. Microsoft’s current eligibility information says the experience is available to English-language merchants selling to US buyers, with no confirmed timeline for wider country expansion.
The conclusion is clear: the biggest technology companies are treating AI-assisted shopping as a serious ecommerce direction.
At the same time, this is still an early-stage channel. Availability differs by platform, country, merchant partner and payment setup. For UK ecommerce teams, the opportunity is not to treat this as a fully mature sales channel today, but to prepare before it becomes normal.
What Base is doing
Base is not waiting for the channel to fully mature before starting work.
We are tracking the development of AI shopping protocols and working to make sure stores using Base can enter this channel when it becomes available — without having to build complex integrations on their own.
This is a natural role for Base. We connect your store with sales channels. When a new channel appears, whether it is a marketplace like Amazon or eBay, or a new AI-powered commerce protocol, our job is to help make sure your products can be there.
For retailers, the key point is simple: AI shopping will reward stores with clean, structured and complete product data.
If your product catalogue is messy, inconsistent or missing key attributes, AI agents will have less reliable information to work with. If your catalogue is well organised, your products are more likely to be understood, compared and recommended correctly.
How to prepare your store for AI shopping
You do not need to wait for AI checkout to be fully available before preparing your store.
Start with the foundations:
- complete product titles,
- clear product descriptions,
- structured product attributes,
- consistent categories,
- accurate stock levels,
- up-to-date pricing,
- delivery and returns information,
- clean product images.
This is where Base already helps. With AI features in the Products module, you can generate product titles and descriptions, translate product content, remove image backgrounds and improve product data faster.
The better your catalogue is today, the easier it will be to enter new AI-powered sales channels tomorrow.
Coming next: MCP — connecting AI with your system
In two weeks, we’ll publish the penultimate episode of the series: MCP — connecting AI with your system.
You’ll be able to connect the Base assistant to the AI tool you use every day and ask questions about data from your account.
Available on the blog from 15 September.
In this series
- AI in the product catalogue
- Autosell – AI Listing Agents
- AI Assistant in the Base panel
- Counting products with AI in the WMS App
- Agentic Commerce – sell where your customers are already having conversations – this article
- MCP – connecting AI with your system – 15 September
- Series finale: all AI features in one place – 29 September
AI shopping is still emerging, but you can prepare your catalogue today. Organise your product data with AI features in Base, so your store is ready for the next sales channel.
Don’t have an account yet? Try Base free for 14 days.
FAQ
What is Agentic Commerce?
Agentic Commerce is a shopping model where an AI agent, such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot, can help a customer find products, compare offers and complete a purchase within a conversation.
Instead of the customer searching across multiple websites, the AI agent becomes the interface between the customer and the store.
Can UK retailers already sell through ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot?
Not as a mainstream self-serve channel yet.
AI shopping is developing quickly, but availability depends on the platform, market, merchant partner and payment setup. ChatGPT Instant Checkout started with US ChatGPT users and US Etsy sellers. Google is rolling out UCP-powered shopping from the US, with the UK expected later. Microsoft Copilot Checkout is currently focused on English-language merchants selling to US buyers.
When AI shopping becomes available for stores using Base, we will communicate it clearly and provide practical guidance on how to get started.
What are ACP and UCP?
They are standards designed to help AI agents communicate with ecommerce systems.
ACP, or Agentic Commerce Protocol, was co-developed by OpenAI and Stripe. It is designed to let AI agents and businesses work together to complete purchases.
UCP, or Universal Commerce Protocol, is being developed by Google for agentic shopping experiences across surfaces such as Search and Gemini.
Both are part of the wider move towards AI-powered product discovery, checkout and post-purchase actions.
What is Base doing about AI shopping?
Base is preparing for AI shopping so stores using Base can enter this channel when it becomes available, without building every integration from scratch.
Base already connects ecommerce businesses with marketplaces, couriers, warehouses and other sales tools. AI commerce is another channel that product data will need to reach.
How can I prepare my store for AI shopping?
Start with your product data.
AI agents make decisions based on the information they can read: product names, descriptions, attributes, categories, stock, prices, delivery options and returns information.
The cleaner and more complete your catalogue is, the better chance your products have of being understood and recommended correctly in AI-powered shopping journeys.
