Agentic Shopping

ACP vs. traditional checkout: a world of difference

Laatst bijgewerkt: October 6, 2025

In dit artikel

From webshop to chat: the new checkout experience

The traditional online checkout is a journey fraught with obstacles. Every step—from the shopping cart to filling in address and payment information—is a potential point of abandonment. The Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) completely overturns this model. It’s not an optimization of the existing flow, but a fundamentally new approach.

Traditionele Checkout

1. Ontdekking (bv. Social Media)
↓
2. Redirect naar Webshop
↓
3. Navigeer & Voeg toe aan mand
↓
4. Start Checkout
↓
5. Vul Gegevens In
↓
6. Externe Betaalpagina
↓
7. Aankoop

Agentic Checkout (ACP)

1. Intentie (bv. ChatGPT)
↓
2. Keuze & Akkoord
↓
3. Aankoop

Het verschil: ACP reduceert frictie en brengt de transactie naar het moment van intentie.

Let’s compare the two.

The traditional checkout flow

A customer sees a product on social media, a search engine, or in an ad.

  1. Redirect: The customer clicks and is taken to the product page on the webshop.
  2. Navigation: The customer adds the product to the cart.
  3. Checkout Initiation: The customer clicks “Checkout”.
  4. Data Entry: The customer fills in (often again) shipping information, billing information, and contact details.
  5. Payment Method: The customer selects a payment method and may be redirected to an external payment page.
  6. Confirmation: The customer completes the payment and returns to the webshop for an order confirmation.

Result: A long, friction-filled journey with multiple steps and potential drop-off points.

The Agentic Commerce (ACP) checkout flow

A customer asks their AI assistant to find a product.

  1. Intent & Choice: The customer asks a question (“I’m looking for…”) and chooses a product from the recommendations, directly in the chat.
  2. Checkout: The customer clicks “Buy Now”.
  3. Confirmation: The AI uses the user’s already known and authorized shipping and payment details. The customer approves with a single tap or click. The transaction is processed instantly through the secure ACP connection by the retailer’s systems.

Result: A seamless, contextual experience with minimal friction, reducing the conversion from intent to purchase to a matter of seconds.

The strategic impact

The difference isn’t just in the number of steps. ACP moves the point of transaction to the beginning of the customer journey. The purchase is no longer the endpoint after a long search, but a direct, integrated action that immediately follows the initial purchase intent. For retailers, this is a fundamental shift from optimizing a funnel to being present at the moment of demand.

Want the full picture?

This protocol is a core part of a bigger picture. Read all about it in our complete guide to Agentic Commerce.