Agentic commerce means AI assistants choose what shoppers buy
Shoppers now start in ChatGPT and Gemini, where the answer picks the product. This guide shows what is already live, and what it takes for your products to be the ones the assistant picks.
AI shopping agents research and choose products before checkout
Shoppers are moving their product research from Google and brand sites into AI assistants. From August 2025 to May 2026, discovery on brand-owned sites fell 7% and traditional search fell 15%. AI assistants, social AI, and delivery apps grew 38% combined, according to Salesforce's State of Commerce. Some shoppers can already buy inside the assistant.
Checkout is live inside Gemini, and agents shop inside ChatGPT
Two checkout rails exist for AI shopping agents. The Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), launched September 2025 by OpenAI and Stripe, lets a shopper buy inside ChatGPT. The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), launched January 2026 by Google and Shopify, lets a shopper buy inside Gemini.
Coach and Kate Spade sell with a Buy button inside the Gemini app. Walmart's first ChatGPT checkout launched in November 2025, converted about 3x worse than walmart.com, and ended in March 2026. Walmart then put its own agent, Sparky, inside ChatGPT.
The assistant already decides which products the shopper sees, whether or not checkout happens there.
Shoppers let AI choose long before they let AI pay
23% of US adults trust AI to pay, according to Visa's Trust Index, and AI-referred visitors convert better than non-AI visitors. Adobe measured AI-referred visitors to US retail sites converting 60% better than non-AI traffic in July 2026, the 11th month in a row AI traffic converted best.
Shoppers still approve the purchase, but AI has already chosen what they buy. The recommendation is where the sale is decided, and that is where Lantern works.
See the orders and revenue each AI assistant sends your storeLast 30 days
| Assistant | Product | Orders | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
 ChatGPT | Trail Runner 3 | 14 | $910 |
| ChatGPT | Arch Support Insole | 9 | $600 |
 Perplexity | Arch Support Insole | 6 | $400 |
 Gemini | Trail Runner 3 | 3 | $190 |
 DeepSeek | Trail Runner 3 | 4 | $260 |
| DeepSeek | Arch Support Insole | 1 | $50 |
| From AI traffic | 37 | $2,410 |
AI shopping agents could take a large share of ecommerce
Bain says agentic AI could drive 15% to 25% of US ecommerce, $300B to $500B, by 2030. The products that win that share are the ones whose data an assistant can read. AI search powered by Shopify's catalog data converts at twice the rate of AI search relying on scraped product data, according to Shopify's Q2 2026 earnings. Readable product data gets your products picked.
Check product data for AI shopping agentsShare of US ecommerce
Your Lantern agent gets your products recommended over the competition in AI search
Lantern works for your brand. It finds where your products rank in AI search and how to beat the competition, so more of the shoppers who start in ChatGPT and Gemini end up buying from you.
Lantern keeps searching for more places to improve and tracks every dollar AI assistants send your store. Nothing changes on your site without your approval.
See Lantern's product overviewWho shows up in the answers
Share of answers naming each brand, last 30 days
Revenue by assistant
ChatGPTGeminiPerplexityDeepSeekCommon questions
What is agentic commerce?
Agentic commerce is AI shopping agents doing the research and product selection a shopper used to do on Google. It starts with a recommendation, and checkout inside the assistant is only beginning.
What is the difference between ACP and UCP?
Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), launched September 2025 by OpenAI and Stripe, lets a shopper buy inside ChatGPT. Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), launched January 2026 by Google and Shopify, lets a shopper buy inside Gemini.
Are AI shopping agents actually buying things now?
Yes, checkout inside Gemini is live for brands like Coach. Every purchase needs the shopper's approval.
Will shoppers let AI pay?
23% of US adults trust AI to pay, according to Visa's Trust Index. Shoppers already let AI choose the product, so being the recommended product matters before AI payment is common.
How do I get my products into AI assistant answers?
Lantern finds where your products rank and what gets you recommended over the competition, then does the work. Nothing changes on your site without your approval.
How much does Lantern cost?
From $99 a month for 40 prompts. The pricing page shows the price for more prompts.
Start free and see where your products rank in AI search
Get your products recommended over the competition in AI search.