Key Takeaways
- Alibaba accelerates agentic commerce ecosystem building with Qwen LLM subsidies as Chinese tech giants intensify the customer acquisition war
- Shoptalk 2026 reveals retail media's "agentic anxiety" turning into action, with ad metrics showing signs of shifting from CPMs to "Cost per Agent Recommendation"
- New agentic commerce players emerge across infrastructure and search — Deeplumen, Waddle, and Netcore Unbxd
Top Stories
Alibaba Bets on Qwen Subsidies to Capture Agentic Commerce
Adoption was strong during the campaign, but it remains unclear if user behavior will persist after incentives fade.
kr-asia.comKrASIA reports that Alibaba's Qwen LLM subsidy strategy is aimed at building an agentic commerce ecosystem. As Chinese tech giants compete fiercely for AI chatbot users through subsidies, Alibaba is heavily discounting usage fees for its LLM "Qwen" to attract developers and e-commerce operators.
The Lunar New Year campaign processed 10 million orders in just 9 hours, achieving over 120 million orders in six days. While adoption was strong during the campaign, it remains unclear whether user behavior will persist after incentives fade. Competition is intensifying, with ByteDance's Doubao surpassing 100 million monthly active users.
Full article: Alibaba Bets on Qwen Subsidies to Build Agentic Commerce Ecosystem
Agentic Commerce
Retail Media's 'Agentic Anxiety' Turns Into Action at Shoptalk 2026
On-the-ground report from Shoptalk Spring 2026 on retail media's agentic anxiety turning into concrete action
www.thedrum.comThe Drum reports on the growing concerns around retail media at Shoptalk 2026. In a world where AI agents select and purchase products on behalf of consumers, traditional display ads and sponsored products could be bypassed entirely, fundamentally challenging the business model of retail media networks.
Elf Beauty's CDO stated that "advertising CPMs will give way to Cost per Agent Recommendation," while concrete partnerships including Sephora-OpenAI and Gap-Google were announced in rapid succession. As agentic commerce takes hold, brands' advertising investments will need to shift from "human eyeballs" to "AI agent algorithms."
Full article: Retail Media's Agentic Anxiety Turns Into Action at Shoptalk 2026
Deeplumen Launches Open Commerce Protocol (OCP) for Agentic Commerce Infrastructure
Deeplumen announced the launch of Open Commerce Protocol (OCP), a full-stack infrastructure layer for agentic commerce.
www.prnewswire.comDeeplumen announced the Open Commerce Protocol (OCP), an open protocol providing full-stack infrastructure for AI agents to conduct autonomous commerce transactions.
In the agentic commerce infrastructure space, multiple approaches are competing. OCP positions itself as an open standard focused on ecosystem-wide interoperability.
Full article: Deeplumen Launches Open Commerce Protocol to Standardize Agentic Commerce Infrastructure
Korean Startup Waddle Eyes U.S. Market With AI Commerce Agent Gentoo
Waddle said it is expanding into the U.S. market with its AI commerce agent 'Gentoo,' following momentum from winning a global hackathon hosted by OpenAI.
www.thelec.netTHE ELEC reports that Korean startup Waddle is targeting the U.S. market with its AI commerce agent "Gentoo," following momentum from winning a global hackathon hosted by OpenAI.
While the agentic commerce competition tends to focus on U.S. and Chinese tech giants, startups from Korea, India, and other markets are entering with unique approaches.
Full article: Korean Waddle Eyes U.S. Market With AI Commerce Agent Gentoo
Netcore Unbxd Launches Agentic Multimodal Search for E-Commerce
Netcore Unbxd launches agentic multimodal search that allows shoppers to upload an image and refine it with language prompts within a single search experience.
www.business-standard.comNetcore Unbxd announced an "agentic multimodal search" solution that combines text, image, and conversational inputs for product discovery. The solution evolves e-commerce search from traditional keyword-based approaches to one where AI agents understand context and suggest optimal products.
By combining multiple input modalities (text, images, voice), the system aims to more accurately understand user intent and improve conversion rates.
AI Commerce Tools
OpenAI Pivots ChatGPT Shopping to Discovery-First Model
OpenAI's March 24 update adds visual browsing, product comparisons and merchant catalog data, while pushing more checkout control to merchant-run experiences
techinformed.comTechInformed reports that OpenAI has pivoted ChatGPT's shopping feature to a "discovery-first" model, shifting focus from direct purchases to product discovery, comparison, and recommendations.
The March 24 update adds visual browsing, product comparisons, and merchant catalog data integration. The approach of prioritizing user experience over advertising revenue contrasts with Google's shopping ads model.
Sephora Now Available on ChatGPT
Sephora is shifting its e-commerce strategy toward AI with the launch of its own application within ChatGPT.
www.retaildetail.euRetailDetail reports that Sephora has joined ChatGPT's shopping platform. Users can now browse and purchase Sephora products within ChatGPT conversations, integrating the Beauty Insider loyalty program with conversational product recommendations.
Global E-Commerce
WTO MC14 Lets E-Commerce Duty Moratorium Expire — A First Since 1998
World Trade Organization members failed to extend the moratorium on e-commerce duties at this week's 14th ministerial conference.
borderlex.netThe WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) concluded in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and the e-commerce duty moratorium in place since 1998 expired for the first time. The failure to reach consensus opens the door for individual countries to introduce digital tariffs.
The immediate impact on e-commerce operators is limited, but if countries begin imposing digital tariffs, the cost structure of cross-border e-commerce could change dramatically. ITIF's analysis argues the U.S. needs to rebuild its strategic trade policy.
Thailand to Abolish Tax Loophole, Impose 40% Tariff on E-Commerce Parcels
New measures aim to curb the flood of cheap foreign goods and protect local SMEs, with a predicted monthly revenue boost of 300 million baht
www.nationthailand.comNation Thailand reports that Thai Customs plans to abolish the tax exemption on small e-commerce parcels and impose a 40% tariff. This is part of tightening cross-border e-commerce regulations across Southeast Asia.
The rapid growth of Chinese e-commerce platforms like Temu, Shein, and TikTok Shop has prompted governments to strengthen regulations to protect domestic industries. Combined with the WTO moratorium expiration, the environment surrounding cross-border e-commerce is becoming increasingly challenging.
Corporate News
Meta Debuts Social Commerce Tools at Shoptalk 2026
Meta introduced new social commerce capabilities for retailers at the Shoptalk 2026 conference.
homenewsnow.comHome News Now reports that Meta debuted new social commerce tools for retailers at Shoptalk 2026, further strengthening shopping experiences on Instagram and Facebook.
Payments & Fintech
Amex Advances Payment Experience with AI Tools
The bank has identified 'hundreds' of use cases for artificial intelligence, its CEO says.
www.paymentsdive.comPayments Dive reports on American Express's AI tool strategy. The CEO has identified "hundreds" of AI use cases, deploying them broadly from payment experience improvements to risk management.
Logistics & Fulfillment
Amazon Takes Delivery Convenience to Next Level
Amazon this month has made several moves that appeal to customer expectations for fast, convenient delivery and put pressure on rivals.
www.freightwaves.comFreightWaves reports on Amazon's latest delivery convenience initiatives. Further expansion of same-day and time-slot delivery continues to intensify delivery speed competition for e-commerce operators.
Summary
In agentic commerce, we saw a wide range of developments from Alibaba's Qwen subsidy strategy, retail media's crisis of confidence at Shoptalk, Deeplumen's OCP launch, to Waddle's U.S. expansion — spanning infrastructure to applications. The scope of AI agent involvement in the purchasing process continues to expand daily, and e-commerce operators need to strategically advance their AI channel readiness.
On the global e-commerce front, the WTO MC14 e-commerce duty moratorium expired for the first time since 1998, and Thailand is planning a 40% tariff on e-commerce parcels — the environment surrounding cross-border e-commerce is becoming increasingly challenging.
