What is the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) and why should you implement it in your eCommerce?

Table of Contents:

• What is Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)?
• How does shopping with ACP look in practice?
• Why is ACP relevant for your store?
• Opportunities and barriers: what does implementing ACP in Europe really look like?
• What can and should you do right now?
• ACP and the future of eCommerce: what's ahead?
• Not just implementation. Why traffic from ChatGPT alone isn't enough?

Although shopping in ChatGPT may still seem like a futuristic curiosity, more and more online stores are treating this topic with full seriousness. There's nothing surprising about this. In October 2025, Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) became one of the most frequently discussed topics in the context of eCommerce - especially among companies that actively track innovations and seek technological advantages.

This interest doesn't come from nowhere. ACP is a set of technical rules that allow your store to "communicate" with AI agents such as ChatGPT. Thanks to this, a chatbot can browse your offer, inquire about delivery conditions, check the final price, and in the future - also complete a transaction. All without the user leaving the chat.

For now, this sales channel is in its early stages, but it's developing dynamically. Does it convert better than Google today? No. Could it gain significance in the near future? Definitely yes, which is why it's worth understanding now how ACP works, what technical requirements it entails, and how to prepare your store so you don't fall behind when AI sales enters the mainstream.

Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) is an open standard developed by OpenAI in collaboration with Stripe that enables an online store to directly integrate with AI agents - primarily ChatGPT. Thanks to ACP, a chatbot can "communicate" with your store in real-time: check product data, retrieve availability information, inquire about delivery conditions, verify prices, and even, through the so-called Instant Checkout, guide the user through the entire transaction process without having to leave the chat window.

The whole system is based on three main components:

• a product feed, updated at most every 15 minutes, containing complete offer data;
• a cart API that enables the AI agent to access key information about shipping, prices, terms and conditions, and order status;
• payments, which are currently processed through Stripe as the default operator supported by OpenAI. In the future, integration with other payment systems will be possible through the provided Shared Payment Token API and Delegated Payments Spec interfaces, but their implementation depends on the readiness of specific providers.

The introduction of ACP is a response to the growing number of ChatGPT users - currently over 700 million weekly, who increasingly use AI to search for and compare products. Although for now the system operates on a pilot basis in the USA (for sellers on Etsy and selected brands on Shopify), there are plans to expand it to additional markets and regions.

For online stores, this means a completely new channel of reach - direct, integrated, based on conversation. Importantly, the entire process takes place while maintaining full control on the seller's side: from order acceptance, through payments, to customer service and returns. ChatGPT acts here only as an intermediary, a digital agent that securely transmits information between the user and your store.

Shopping conducted using Agentic Commerce Protocol proceeds in a completely different way than in the traditional eCommerce model. It's not the user who searches through successive store tabs, but their digital assistant, powered by ChatGPT, that does it for them. Your store's role in this process is primarily readiness to receive such queries and enabling the agent to perform all key steps - from product search to transaction finalization.

What does such a scenario look like in practice? The user types in ChatGPT: "I'm looking for men's running shoes for winter, preferably something with good grip on snow and mud. Size 44, color rather dark, budget max 450 PLN. I run 3-4 times a week, mainly in the forest, intermediate level. I'd like them to be light, waterproof and keep the foot stable on uneven terrain. What do you recommend?". The chatbot analyzes the intent and returns product results from various stores, based on current feeds - without ads, without classic SEO, without privileging results. If your store meets ACP requirements and offers the product in question, it has a chance to appear in the response.

For products with the Instant Checkout feature, the user can immediately click "Buy", confirm delivery details, choose a payment method and complete the order, and everything happens without leaving the chat interface. What's also important, the operation takes place in the background, using your store's API, and the payment is processed by the operator (currently Stripe).

At the moment, shopping through ChatGPT is only possible in the USA and only for selected partners (Etsy, selected Shopify stores), but OpenAI has announced a gradual expansion of functionality, including support for multi-product carts and additional regions, including Europe.

It's worth noting that even without an active "Buy now" feature, products with a well-prepared feed can be displayed in ChatGPT responses with an active link to your store. This is quite a new opportunity to acquire traffic from an additional source.

ACP is a potential new sales channel that could change the way customers reach your store and make purchasing decisions. Although today the share of traffic from ChatGPT in the total number of eCommerce visits is small, the trend is clear: users are increasingly turning to AI to seek opinions, compare offers, or find specific products.

For an online store, this means:

• a new source of traffic that can grow from quarter to quarter,
• an opportunity to build a competitive advantage in a channel that is just taking shape,
• the need to take care of product data quality, because it's precisely this that will determine the visibility of your offer in AI responses.

Importantly, implementing ACP doesn't have to mean a technological revolution. If you use popular eCommerce engines (such as Magento or Shopify), many solutions are already partially prepared or available as open extensions. However, what will be crucial is proper preparation of the product feed, adapting the store's API to ACP requirements, and ensuring compliance with legal requirements, such as terms and conditions, return policies, and contact information.

It's also worth being aware that data quality, product information availability, as well as reviews and ratings can really influence whether your assortment appears in ChatGPT's response and how highly it's displayed.

European stores can already express their interest in participating in the program by signing up for OpenAI's official waitlist, but this process is not fully automated and doesn't come with a guarantee of a quick response. OpenAI doesn't even send an automatic confirmation of application acceptance. *Registration at: chatgpt.com.

ACP implementation in the European Union may be additionally delayed due to regulatory reasons. Local regulations regarding consumer protection, right to returns, invoice issuance, or personal data processing require adaptation of integration to the realities of a given market. These issues are worth addressing at the planning stage of implementation - preferably in cooperation with a legal or compliance team.

From a technological standpoint, challenges also arise. Currently, ACP works by default with Stripe as the operator, which in many European countries may prove to be a costly choice - both in terms of commission and availability of certain local functions. Although OpenAI has made available interfaces that will enable integration with other payment gateways, their implementation depends on the readiness of specific providers and is still in an early stage of development.

There are also positive signals. When your store is qualified for the program, a well-prepared product feed is enough for your offer to start appearing to ChatGPT users. Even without the "Buy now" option, products can be visible with an active link to your store, without additional click fees, which is particularly important compared to Google or Meta's advertising model.

OpenAI emphasizes that product visibility will primarily be influenced by the quality of the feed and the offer itself, not the advertising budget. In this context, it's worth considering now implementing or modernizing a PIM (Product Information Management) system, which will help standardize and update product data with greater precision.

Although ACP is not yet commercially available for sellers in Europe, now is the best time to start preparations. Implementing this type of technology is a process that encompasses both technical and organizational layers. Companies that approach the topic in advance will gain an advantage when the protocol becomes widely available.

Here are four practical actions you can take today:

• Register your store for the OpenAI program. Registration alone doesn't guarantee immediate access to Instant Checkout, but it allows you to be among the companies that will be considered in subsequent stages. It's worth remembering that the process is not automated and may take several weeks.
• Start preparations for implementing or modernizing PIM. Product data quality will be crucial - it's on this basis that ChatGPT will choose what to show the user. Investment in a Product Information Management (PIM) system will help standardize descriptions, fill gaps, and automate feed updates. This is the foundation of effective ACP integration.
• Verify technological readiness. Contact your software house or IT department and check whether your engine (e.g. Magento, Presta, Shopify) is ready for ACP integration. The first open-source extensions are already emerging, but are still in the testing phase - it's worth monitoring their development and planning integration with appropriate lead time.
• Consult on legal and regulatory issues. Even if transactions are not yet taking place, your products may be presented to ChatGPT users. Make sure that privacy policy, store terms and conditions, and return conditions comply with requirements that may appear in the context of AI sales. It's worth analyzing these documents together with a lawyer before integration enters the implementation phase.

ACP is a process that has already begun and for which it's worth preparing before it becomes a new market standard. Even simple actions taken today can translate into a competitive advantage.

Although ACP is just breaking new ground, the direction in which online commerce is heading is becoming increasingly clear. This is a slow, systemic change in shopping logic and a response to real consumer behaviors, who are increasingly willing to consult their purchasing decisions with ChatGPT.

For sellers, this means the need to think about visibility not only in Google or marketplaces, but also in the context of results returned by large language models (LLMs). Currently, customers are increasingly asking AI agents questions, so classic SEO is no longer sufficient. What counts is product data quality, feed structure, content alignment with user intent, as well as local context, which LLMs are understanding better and better. GEO, language, regional availability, or delivery conditions may become new points differentiating your offer in results generated by AI models.

Rankings won't depend on advertising budgets, but on how well your data responds to real user questions and how easily an AI agent can work with them.

Looking more broadly: ACP is part of a larger transformation in which AI becomes not only an advisor but also an executor of purchasing decisions. For eCommerce, this means the need to adapt technology, processes, and teams to a reality where the shopping interface becomes a conversation.

ACP opens a new channel for reaching customers, but access to ChatGPT alone doesn't guarantee sales. Recent research shows that traffic generated by language models (LLMs), including ChatGPT, still converts more poorly than other sources - such as Google search, email, or affiliate links.

Analysis of data from over 900 eCommerce stores (Kaiser & Schulze, 2025) shows that ChatGPT traffic accounted for less than 0.2% of total traffic, and the conversion rate was even 86% lower than for affiliate links (modernretail.co). Importantly, although users clicked on links, they rarely made purchases during the same session and often returned through other channels.

This doesn't mean the value of this traffic is low. The study showed that conversion from ChatGPT recommendations steadily grew over 12 months, and users showed higher engagement (longer sessions, lower bounce rate), which may indicate long-term potential. Trust in AI as a source of recommendations is also growing in parallel.

For an online store, this means that ACP and ChatGPT are a good source of supporting traffic, but one requiring supplementation. Products may attract attention in AI responses, but the user often doesn't complete the purchase immediately and needs a second stimulus to return and make a decision.

This is where the role of remarketing, follow-up campaigns, and a properly designed purchase funnel comes in. Even if a user arrives from ChatGPT, they most often finalize conversion in a classic channel, e.g. through a newsletter, retargeting, price comparison site. Investment in ACP should go hand in hand with a well-planned post-click strategy.

Agentic Commerce Protocol is not yet a market standard, but today it's already setting the direction in which modern eCommerce is heading. Integration with AI agents, such as ChatGPT, is a real change in the way users search for products and make purchasing decisions.

For online stores, this means the need for adaptation - both technological and organizational. Early preparation, investment in data quality, and awareness of the role that LLMs will play can determine market advantage.

At Advox, we track trends and continuously help clients adapt eCommerce to current market needs. If you're looking for a technology partner to develop your store - write to us. Let's talk about ACP opportunities.