From chat to buy: Preparing your business for agentic commerce

Years ago, people shopped purely in person. Then eCommerce came along, and with it the evolution to mobile phones and social platforms. Now, we’re entering the era of agentic commerce, with leading AI platforms like ChatGPT starting to offer customers the ability to buy products directly within their AI chats.

The shift marks a critical moment for brands. Already, 32% of Australians use AI to help them get their shopping done. And, globally, shopping-related prompts in ChatGPT jumped 25% in the six months to June 2025. It’s clear that AI shopping is the next retail frontier.

Selling on AI chat platforms like ChatGPT isn’t available in Australia yet. But it’s sure to arrive soon. With this in mind, let’s take a look at what you can to do get ready for the rise of agentic commerce.

What is AI shopping, or agentic commerce?

AI shopping, or agentic commerce, is where shoppers can buy products directly within AI chat platforms like ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini. Within these chats, customers can go from researching products, right through to buying them using secure payment processes.

How will agentic commerce benefit your brand?

Giving customers the ability to buy your products in AI chats can help you meet your customers in the moments they’re engaged in conversational, personalised dialogue with AI. With ChatGPT pulling in more than 700 million people each week, that’s a lot of potential customers.

In these AI chat environments:

• The path from consideration to purchase is seamless
  Customers can go from asking a question (e.g. “What’s the best running shoe for under $150?”) to completing a purchase, all in a few taps within the chat. It’s quick and easy, with the potential to reduce cart abandonment and convert intent directly into a sale.
• You stay in control of the buying journey
  You still handle payments, fulfillment, returns and support. And, most importantly, you’re still in charge of building and managing customer relationships – and if you get it right, you can really stand out from the crowd.

“With AI doing the searching and buying, the delivery experience becomes the brand’s first touch point with the consumer. This means that the delivery and unboxing experience can become a superpower for the brand, giving them the opportunity to provide an incredible experience to consumers,” says Jack Morgan, Australia Post eCommerce Partnerships Manager.

“The impact of a note to first time buyers or something extra to surprise and delight the buyer can set your brand apart and ensure the buyer comes directly back to your brand.”

How to sell via ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini

Just like with eCommerce and social commerce, there are a few things to consider before you can start selling on ChatGPT and other AI platforms. To get ready for AI shopping, you’ll need to:

• Connect your systems to AI platforms
  You’ll need to seamlessly connect your existing eCommerce and inventory management systems to the AI platforms. For this, you’ll need sophisticated, real-time API integrations that enable the seamless, two-way flow of data.
• Set up solid security and privacy plans
  If you’re selling via AI chats, you may need to reevaluate how you handle and protect sensitive customer data.
• Monitor how your brand and products are being presented by AI agents
  Check AI chat responses for your products and brand. Consider large language models (LLMs) including ChatGPT, CoPilot, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude.
  • Regularly ask AI tools questions you think your potential customers might ask: ‘What are the best beauty [or insert your product type] brands with fast shipping’; ‘Is [your brand name] legitimate?’, ‘Alternatives to [your brand]’.
  • Record in a spreadsheet or other document the date tested, question asked, AI platform, summary of response and whether it was accurate and positive or negative.
  • If you haven’t already set up Google alerts for brand mentions, do so. Include ‘[your brand] + review’ as LLMs often reference review sites and articles. Consider using an LLM measurement tool.
  • Keep a record of feedback from customers on information they received from agents – for example ‘ChatGPT said you offer express shipping’ etc. Ask customers how they heard about you.
• Build a solid LLM seeding plan
  Getting seen and cited by AI platforms requires a plan, a bit like SEO. Think AI-friendly content like comparison posts, best-of lists, tables and FAQs.
  • LLMs also love semantic chunking, which means organising your content into short, clearly labelled sections that focus on single ideas.
  • Create a clear about page that highlights how you’re different to competitors.
  • If you have Google Merchant Center, Microsoft Business Profile, Shopify or WooCommerce integrations ensure they’re updated – agents reference this information.
• Polish your product catalogues
  Like with eCommerce, the more detailed your product listings, the better. To write for an AI agent, your product descriptions should include:
  • A descriptive, plain-English title
  • Comprehensive product descriptions using natural language
  • All key product attributes and specifications – colours, measurements etc
  • Identifiers like GTIN, SKU and MPN
  • Clear pricing identifying currency
  • Delivery options, returns and warranty information.

Major platforms like Shopify are already on board

Australia Post recently announced a partnership with global ecommerce leader Shopify. Once agentic commerce is available in Australia in Shopify, merchants will be able to sell directly through ChatGPT conversations – no links or redirects, just seamless commerce. With Shopify handling the technical complexity, it means that you can focus on the things that matter, like creating a customer experience that will have customers returning.