AGENTIC COMMERCE
Designing products and UX for agentic commerce
A shopping agent needs permission to spend the buyer’s money. The buyer needs to know what they’re approving, and card processors and payment providers need evidence that the payment was authorized.
YOUR REQUEST
Who I’m designing for
Card Processors and Payment providers
They need a record of who approved payment and what the agent was allowed to do. Keeping it with the order and payment result helps investigate a disputed transaction.
A buyer short on time
The buyer wants to delegate a small errand without handing over unrestricted spending. They need a clear item, delivered total and approval step before payment.
The shop taking the order
The shop needs the agreed item and one order it can fulfill. If payment or order confirmation is unclear, the agent must check the existing attempt before retrying.
Customer support
Support needs the original request, the approved order and what happened to payment. I want those kept separately so the team can trace a wrong item or repeated attempt.
How much payment access are you giving?
The next choice is what payment access to give the shopping service. I’m comparing a card number, spending limits, a payment token and buyer approval against the same request.
A gift card fits the cable budget
If the agent chooses a $25 gift card from the same seller instead of the cable I requested, the seller and amount checks pass. Comparing the item with the request reveals the mistake.
| Requested | At checkout | Control | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seller | Pied Piper | Pied PiperSame seller | No purchase limit |
| Delivered total | Up to $30 | $25.00Within the limit | No purchase limit |
| Item | USB-C charging cableBlack, 2 m | Gift cardDifferent item | Item not checked |
- Seller and amount
- The number lets the shopping service attempt a payment. The card issuer and seller still apply ordinary payment checks; the number itself sets no purchase limits.
- Item and terms
- The shopping service still needs to compare the item and terms with your request.
- In this example
- The card number alone supplies no item check.
These approaches can work together. A payment you approve may use a token underneath; the available controls depend on the provider and its integration.
Compare the providers