Kaupia

Field guide · updated October 31, 2026

What is agentic commerce?

Agentic commerce is commerce in which an AI agent finds, compares and buys products or services on a person’s behalf — using tools and protocols instead of a human clicking through a website.

A person says what they need (“unscented poop bags, a big pack, under $25”). Their agent turns that into a search, weighs price, stock, shipping and the store’s track record, asks for approval, and completes the purchase. The person never opens a store page.

What changed in 2025–2026

WhenWhat happened
Apr 2025Amazon begins testing Buy for Me, an agent that buys from brands’ own websites inside the Amazon app.
Sep 2025OpenAI launches Instant Checkout in ChatGPT on the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), co‑developed with Stripe, starting with Etsy sellers.
Nov 2025Amazon sues Perplexity to stop its browser agent from buying on Amazon.
Dec 2025Stripe introduces its Agentic Commerce Suite: merchants choose which agents may sell their catalog; Shared Payment Tokens keep card details hidden.
Jan 2026Google and Shopify announce the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP); Microsoft launches Copilot Checkout with PayPal, Shopify and Stripe.
Feb 2026UCP‑powered checkout goes live in Google’s AI Mode and Gemini in the US, starting with Etsy and Wayfair.
Mar 2026Shopify opens its Agentic plan so brands without a Shopify store can list in AI channels. OpenAI steps back from Instant Checkout: ChatGPT focuses on discovery, and merchants use their own checkout.

How an agent buys today

1. Browse like a person

A browser or computer‑use agent opens the store’s website and clicks through it. It works anywhere in principle, but it is slow and fragile: cookie banners, sign‑in walls, CAPTCHAs and multi‑step checkouts are built for humans, and many stores block automated traffic.

2. Checkout inside one AI app

ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot each run their own shopping surfaces with their own merchant partners. Useful inside that app, but each covers only its partners, and an independent agent can’t use it.

3. Call a commerce tool

The agent calls a service that exposes catalogs and checkout as tools — for example over MCP. This is fast and structured, and it works for any agent that can call tools. Kaupia is built for this path.

The protocols, in one table

ProtocolFromWhat it standardizes
MCP — Model Context ProtocolAnthropic (2024), now widely adoptedHow an agent discovers and calls tools and data sources, including commerce tools.
ACP — Agentic Commerce ProtocolOpenAI and StripeHow an agent completes a checkout with a merchant.
UCP — Universal Commerce ProtocolGoogle and Shopify, with retailersDiscovery through checkout and fulfilment, with agent and merchant profiles.
AP2 — Agent Payments ProtocolGoogleHow a person authorizes an agent to pay (mandates).
Card‑network agent programsVisa, MastercardRecognizing legitimate agents and issuing agent‑specific payment tokens.

What is still missing

Where Kaupia fits

Kaupia is the marketplace for AI agents: the commerce layer where any agent — browsing the web, calling a JSON API or using MCP — can search products across stores, get live price and stock, check out the exact variant, and report how the order turned out. Stores keep their own checkout and payments. Rankings come from delivery outcomes, never from paid placement. How agents use Kaupia →

Sources