AI agent for ecommerce
An AI agent for ecommerce is software that reads what a shopper or customer asks in a chat and carries it out in the store’s own systems: it checks the order, quotes the shipping, sends the payment link or books the delivery, within limits the store sets.
What it means in practice
A customer writes on WhatsApp: “I want the green one in M, can you send it to my office?”. A chatbot replies with a link to the product page. An AI agent for ecommerce checks that the green one in M is in stock, quotes delivery to the office address, sends a payment link in the same chat, confirms the order once it is paid and sends the tracking number when it ships.
The difference is what it is connected to. An AI agent has tools: permitted actions in real systems. For an online store, those systems are the store platform, the payment provider, the courier and anything else the store runs on, such as a returns app or a subscriptions app. See chatbot vs AI agent.
Why it matters for an online store
- Many messages need something done, not just said. “Where is my order?”, “can I change the size?” and “how do I pay?” each need a lookup or an action. A reply that only explains the policy sends the customer back to your team. See WISMO.
- The sale can close in the chat. When the agent can send a payment link, a shopper who is ready to buy does not have to find the product again on your site. See conversational commerce.
- Limits protect your margins. Discounts, refunds and delivery promises need ceilings. Where those ceilings are enforced matters more than how well the agent writes.
How it works in chat
- It reads the request. The agent works out what the customer wants: a product, an order, a change, a payment. See intent detection.
- It checks the store. Products, stock and shipping rates come from the store platform, such as Shopify. Orders are read live, after the customer’s email or phone is verified.
- It acts within your rules. It sends a discount only within the limit you set, sends an Airwallex payment link for the total, or books the delivery with a courier such as POS Malaysia.
- It confirms in the same thread. The customer sees the result where they asked: the payment confirmed, the tracking number, the new delivery date.
- It passes the rest to a person. Anything above your limits goes to your team with the conversation attached. See live chat handover.
In AeroChat, two engines run this. One reads what the customer wants. A deterministic control action center decides and carries out every action, within the workflow’s rules and the permissions you gave it. You describe the workflow in your own words, and AeroChat works out which tools to call and lists any keys you need to add for outside systems.
An example exchange
Customer, on WhatsApp: Hi, I’d like the Ridge fleece in green, size M, delivered to my office. (example)
AeroChat: The Ridge fleece in green, size M, is in stock at US$72. What’s the office address?
Customer: 18 Market Street, 4th floor.
AeroChat: Thanks. Delivery there is US$6, so US$78 in total. Here’s your secure payment link.
AeroChat: Payment received, thank you. Your order is confirmed and should arrive in 2 to 3 working days. I’ll send the tracking number here once it ships.
Related terms
Read next
- Conversational commerce in practice: the four pieces a chat sale needs
- Get paid without leaving the conversation
- WhatsApp payment links that confirm the order when paid
Let the chat finish the job
Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed. Connect your store and a payment provider, describe what you want done, and AeroChat checks the stock, sends the payment link and confirms the order in the chat.
On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.