A marketplace software company says AI assistants may soon search, compare and buy for shoppers, so stores need product details that software can read.
Online stores may soon have a new kind of customer: an AI assistant shopping on someone's behalf. An executive at Mirakl, a company that builds online marketplaces for retailers, is advising stores on how to prepare. The advice appeared in a story on qz.com.
Agentic commerce means an AI assistant searches, compares and buys things for you. Instead of scrolling through pages yourself, you could tell the assistant what you need and let it handle the rest. The shopper may never see the store's website at all.
The main point is about product details. Stores will need information that software can read, not just pages designed for people. A nice photo and a catchy description may not be enough if an assistant cannot pull out clear facts to compare.
Anyone who sells products online is touched by this. If assistants start choosing what shoppers buy, clear and complete product details could decide whether a store gets found. Shoppers could be affected too, since an assistant may shape which products they see.
The full article was not available, so key details are missing. It is not clear which assistants will do this shopping, how soon it will happen, or what specific steps Mirakl recommends. Mirakl also sells marketplace tools, so its advice comes from a company with a stake in the trend.
If you sell online, make sure your product details are clear and complete in a form software can read, because AI assistants may soon do the shopping.
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