Agentic commerce: Why marketplace and dropship platforms will win
The arrival of Agentic commerce — where AI agents autonomously search, compare and purchase on behalf of consumers and businesses — isn't just the next evolution of eCommerce. It's a fundamental shift in how value is created and captured, and it plays directly to the strengths of marketplace and dropship models.
While McKinsey research shows that 78% of companies now use generative AI, over 80% report no material impact on earnings.
Agentic commerce represents the breakthrough that could finally unlock AI's transformative potential for commerce platforms.
The marketplace advantage in an agentic world
Agentic commerce will accelerate the shift away from traditional, siloed eCommerce storefronts.
As purchasing patterns become driven less by direct consumer browsing and more by AI agents seeking the best match for a user's intent, the platforms that succeed will be those that offer:
Maximum breadth and depth of assortment.
Best-in-class product data and content quality.
Seamless, standardized integrations for discovery, transaction and fulfillment.
Transparent, competitive pricing and fulfillment options.
Marketplace and dropship platforms have already been built to deliver on these pillars.
Unlike traditional eCommerce, where assortment and data quality are often bottlenecked by inventory ownership or legacy systems, marketplaces are designed for scale, diversity and agility.
They bring together thousands of sellers, ensure data standardization and can rapidly adapt to new requirements: exactly what AI agents need to make optimal decisions.
Agentic commerce in action: real-world use cases
To understand why marketplace and dropship platforms are uniquely positioned to win in an agentic world, it's helpful to look at concrete scenarios where AI agents will operate.
These real-world use cases reveal the specific capabilities that agents require, and why traditional eCommerce models simply can't deliver at the speed, scale and sophistication that agentic commerce demands.
The shift is already happening.
Amazon's recent launch of "Buy for Me" — an AI agent that can purchase products from third-party websites directly through the Amazon app — signals that major platforms are betting on autonomous shopping experiences.
This isn't just experimentation; it's a clear indication that agentic commerce is ready to solve real customer problems.
B2B procurement
Consider a facilities manager whose AI agent automatically monitors office supply levels and places orders when inventory runs low.
The agent needs to source 500 ergonomic desk chairs within budget, meeting specific sustainability criteria and delivered within two weeks across multiple office locations.
Only a marketplace and dropship platform can instantly surface options from dozens of suppliers, compare certifications, negotiate bulk pricing and coordinate split shipments, all while the facilities manager focuses on strategic work.
Subscription and replenishment
A busy parent's AI agent tracks household consumption patterns and automatically reorders essentials before they run out.
If their usual brand of organic baby formula is out of stock, the agent instantly pivots to retailers offering equivalent alternatives, cross-references ingredient lists, checks delivery times, and places the order, ensuring the baby never goes without while the parent never needs to think about it.
Time-critical purchases
Imagine a restaurant's AI agent detecting that the walk-in cooler has failed on a busy Friday night.
The agent immediately sources replacement refrigeration units from marketplace sellers, compares same-day delivery options, verifies compatibility with existing kitchen layouts, and arranges emergency installation, turning a potential disaster into a minor operational hiccup.
Personalized gifts
Rather than browsing endless product pages, a consumer's AI agent receives the instruction: "Find a meaningful anniversary gift for my partner who loves sustainable fashion and supports small businesses, budget $200."
The agent scans marketplace inventories, identifies emerging designers on dropship platforms, cross-references sustainability certifications, reads customer reviews for quality insights and presents three perfectly curated options with detailed rationales. These scenarios illustrate a common thread: Successful agentic commerce requires platforms that can instantly access vast, diverse inventories while maintaining the data quality and operational flexibility to respond to complex, dynamic requirements.
This is where the fundamental architecture of marketplace and dropship platforms becomes their competitive advantage.
Unlike traditional eCommerce players constrained by their own inventory and systems, these platforms have built-in capabilities that align perfectly with what AI agents need to succeed.
How agentic commerce supercharges marketplace and dropship flywheels
As agents become the primary channel for product discovery and purchasing, two critical factors will determine which platforms win:
Data quality and accessibility: AI agents don't "browse"; they analyze structured, machine-readable data. Marketplace and dropship platforms already require sellers to provide rich, standardized, up-to-date product information to compete for visibility. This discipline creates an API-first ecosystem perfectly suited for agent-driven transactions.
Integrated, automated operations: Marketplace and dropship models already leverage automation for catalog management, price updating, fulfillment and customer service — capabilities that are essential for real-time, agentic commerce. With Mirakl Nexus, this automation extends end-to-end: from intelligent product onboarding and enrichment, to seamless payments and fulfillment, to integrated retail media and advertising.
Platforms that combine large, high-quality assortments with agent-friendly infrastructure become the default "clearinghouse" for AI agents, ensuring their offers are always discoverable, comparable and purchasable.
Building agent-ready eCommerce platforms
The urgency for platforms to become agent-ready is real.
Gartner research suggests that AI agents will account for 20% or more of eCommerce traffic within the next five years, while new trust and security challenges emerge around autonomous purchasing behavior.
Companies like Forter are already developing specialized identity monitoring and fraud prevention specifically for agentic commerce, highlighting both the opportunity and the risks ahead.
To prepare for this shift, platforms must focus on a clear roadmap that begins by establishing a robust data foundation and continues by building agent-friendly infrastructure, layering on intelligence, and optimizing for the new ecosystem.
Get your data foundation right
Standardize product data schemas: Implement consistent taxonomies, attributes, and enrichment requirements across all sellers.
API-first architecture: Develop robust APIs that allow agents to query inventory, pricing, and fulfillment options in real-time.
Seller data quality programs: Establish incentives and tools to help Marketplace sellers and Dropship suppliers maintain accurate, complete product information.
Discover Mirakl Catalog Platform and how it can help streamline supplier onboarding and maintain high-quality product information.
Build an agent-friendly integration infrastructure
Machine-readable catalogs: Transform product data into structured formats that agents can easily parse and compare.
Dynamic pricing and availability: Enable real-time updates for inventory levels, pricing changes, and fulfillment options.
Automated negotiation protocols: For B2B Marketplace and Dropship platforms, develop systems that allow agents to request quotes and negotiate terms automatically.
Read about our Catalog Transformer solution and how it helps optimize product data at scale.
Layer on intelligence and decision-making tools
Predictive inventory management: Help Dropship suppliers anticipate agent-driven demand patterns.
Quality scoring algorithms: Develop reputation and reliability metrics that agents can use to evaluate sellers and products.
Contextual recommendations: Build systems that understand agent intent and can suggest alternatives when primary options are unavailable.
Optimize for the agentic ecosystem
Cross-platform agent protocols: Establish industry standards for how agents interact with Marketplace and Dropship platforms.
Advanced fulfillment orchestration: Coordinate complex multi-seller, multi-location orders that agents increasingly demand.
Continuous learning systems: Implement feedback loops that help platforms learn from agent behavior and optimize for better outcomes.
The platforms that move fastest through this roadmap — whether marketplace or dropship networks — will capture the lion's share of agentic commerce value. The window for building agent-ready infrastructures is narrow, but the rewards for those who succeed will be transformational.
The future of commerce isn't just automated, it's intelligent, efficient and built on the foundation that marketplace and dropship platforms have been laying for years.
Learn more about how Mirakl can help you get agent-ready, by contacting us today.
