For many merchants, their own shop remains the place to explain what they sell, advise customers and organise service. An assistant can make the first contact or prepare a purchase. The merchant can decide which steps belong in its own shop and which it can make available through other interfaces.
When is it worth moving into the shop?
An agent finds two suitable paint colours for a child’s room. In the shop, the customer can see the colours in a room, compare samples and ask for advice. Once the choice is made, the agent can later reorder the same colour in the right size. Both routes rely on the same product and offer data.
How do I decide what to open up?
Pick a customer task and look at where a handoff helps. A straightforward reorder may need a valid offer and a confirmation. A complex choice may benefit from an interface with comparisons, advice or configuration. Test that the variant, quantity and agreed terms travel with the handoff. The customer should be able to pick up where they left off.
Also establish who will answer questions about the order later. For the customer, the connection between advice, purchase and service often matters more than the interface where the shopping started.
Book chapters, articles and sources
- Chapter 6 · Experience that improves a decision
- Chapter 20 · A reason to buy from you
- Agentic commerce examples for merchants
- Stefan Hamann · Agentic eCommerce: Unlocking Next-Generation Differentiation