Agentic checkout is no longer an abstract idea discussed in demos. Over the past several months, major technology companies have begun rolling out tools that allow AI systems to guide, assist, or complete purchases inside chat and assistant interfaces. The growing sophistication of AI agents has made this possible, influencing the rise of agentic commerce. Companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google have invested heavily in systems that can execute multi-step tasks rather than respond to single prompts.

AI-driven checkout is becoming part of mainstream commerce. Before agentic commerce, platforms already played a role in shopping. Consumers used Google Shopping ads to compare products before clicking through to retailer websites. Amazon’s marketplace checkout centralized discovery and payment inside one platform. Social apps experimented with in-app checkout and buy buttons, allowing users to purchase without leaving feeds. What those systems shared was a clear separation between discovery and decision-making. Users still had to navigate pages, filters, and checkout forms themselves.

Agentic checkout changes that flow. Instead of directing users to storefronts or product pages, AI systems now manage parts of the decision process in conversation. This article brings those developments together to show who is offering what today, and how checkout actually works across platforms.

What agentic checkout means

Agentic checkout refers to AI systems that can handle multiple steps of a shopping journey. Rather than stopping at product discovery, these tools can compare options, surface prices, and move users closer to payment or complete the purchase inside the same interface.

This builds on earlier commerce models. For years, platforms reduced friction through saved payment credentials, one-click checkout, and marketplace fulfillment. Agentic checkout extends this by letting AI agents coordinate those steps dynamically. The agent becomes the interface, not the product page.

What each company is offering today

Agentic checkout is emerging as a central focus for AI platforms in commerce. Companies are expanding their reach across the shopping journey, from identifying purchase intent and guiding research to handling payment and post-purchase steps. This drive to capture more of the process has led to rapid feature development, with platforms integrating merchants, streamlining transactions, and keeping users engaged within AI interfaces.

OpenAI was among the first to move in this space, partnering with Shopify in September 2025 to enable direct product sales inside ChatGPT through Instant Checkout. According to the company, users can discover products, view pricing, and complete purchases without leaving the chat interface.

The feature is powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol, built with Stripe, and uses Shopify’s infrastructure for inventory, payments, and fulfillment. OpenAI charges retailers a fee on each completed purchase, and availability is limited to supported merchants and regions.

Following OpenAI, Perplexity rolled out Instant Buy for in-chat shopping and checkout in November 2025. Perplexity allows users to purchase directly inside the chatbot interface, with PayPal handling the checkout process. This keeps the transaction within the conversational experience while enabling merchants to sell directly to users without redirecting them to external sites.

Google has also entered the competition with the Universal Commerce Protocol, designed to connect AI agents with retailers. Traditionally, each AI assistant required a custom integration for every merchant. Google says UCP removes that barrier by providing a shared technical language, allowing agents like Gemini or AI Mode on Google Search to transact with multiple merchants without bespoke connections.

According to Google, UCP was developed with input from major retailers and technology partners, including Shopify, Walmart, Wayfair, Target, American Express, Visa, and Stripe. The company says it plans to make in-chat checkout using UCP possible.

Microsoft is also competing for a share of this emerging market with Copilot Checkout, introduced in early January 2026. According to the company, Copilot Checkout allows users to move from discovery to purchase within Copilot experiences. Merchants can sell products directly through the chat interface, with the tool guiding users through selection and completing checkout through partner integrations or merchant handoffs. Copilot Checkout currently supports PayPal, Shopify, Stripe, and Etsy integrations and is available in the U.S.

Amazon has been testing AI shopping assistants that help users discover products, compare options, and complete purchases within its ecosystem. While not explicitly branded as agentic checkout, the functionality aligns with the concept. Checkout remains fully controlled by Amazon, with transactions completing entirely inside its marketplace. This approach continues Amazon’s long-standing model of vertically integrating discovery, payment, and fulfillment.

Where the industry stands now

Agentic checkout has moved beyond early experiments into live implementations across major AI platforms. OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Perplexity, and Amazon each offer tools that manage part of the shopping journey within AI chats.

The industry is still fragmented. Some platforms, like OpenAI and Perplexity, allow checkout entirely inside conversational experiences. Others, like Google, focus on routing users to merchant sites while standardizing the technical connection between AI agents and sellers. Microsoft’s Copilot Checkout sits between these models, providing integrations depending on the merchant.

Agentic checkout remains in an early stage. It builds on prior digital commerce trends, like one-click checkout, marketplace centralization, and social commerce, while introducing new layers of AI orchestration. However, platforms are testing features and gradually expanding availability to continue competing for a place in the growing e-commerce market.

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