Agentic Commerce Alliance Kickoff builds Momentum for fair, open Standards in Agentic Commerce
basecom and the founding members of the Agentic Commerce Alliance welcome and shape open, interoperable standards for
an agent-driven open commerce future.
By 2030, analysts expect nearly a third of all ecommerce transactions will be executed by AI agents. The recent announcement of Instant Checkout in ChatGPT confirms what we at basecom, together with our partners in the Agentic Commerce Alliance (ACA), have been preparing for: a future where AI agents discover, compare, and purchase products and services on behalf of our customers and their customers.
“Analysts expect that by 2030, AI agents will execute nearly a third of all ecommerce
transactions. This is a huge change, a serious challenge and a generational opportunity for our customers. With the help of this alliance we will enable them to shape the future of their businesses.” — Christian Schilling, Director Business Unit, basecom
When we co-founded the Agentic Commerce Alliance in the spring of 2025, our goal was clear: lay the foundations of an open, interoperable, and customer-first ecosystem for agentic commerce.
That’s why we welcome the decision by OpenAI and Stripe to open source the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which enables Instant Checkout. This step aligns directly with the roadmap we’ve been pursuing: shared standards, interoperable agents, and scalable discovery.
“Without open standards, discovery and choice risk being controlled by closed
platforms. With them, agents can recognize trust, service, and expertise — ensuring
merchants of all sizes remain visible and competitive.” — Stefan Hamann, CEO,
Shopware
Together with a growing network of forward-thinking companies, we aim to shape the
future of AI-driven commerce in a way that’s open, fair, and empowering for merchants
of all sizes.
From vision to Action at the Agentic Commerce Alliance Kickoff in Cologne
On September 15, 2025, the Agentic Commerce Alliance held its inaugural Kickoff Event in Cologne. What began as a vision of open, agentic commerce became a working reality. Founding members agreed on a shared charter, established a governance model with regular all-member calls and steering sessions, and launched a shared collaboration hub to accelerate delivery.
More importantly, the Kickoff created urgency and momentum. Members committed to deliver tangible outputs by year-end — from draft standards to working prototypes — and structured their work into four streams: Education & Enablement, Applications & Prototypes, Data Standards & Experience Protocols, and Trust & Security.
The message was clear: the window to act is now. We at basecom, together with the other Alliance members, left Cologne with a shared conviction that Agentic Commerce must be fair and competitive, built as a community, with openness and interoperability at its core.
About the Agentic Commerce Alliance
The Agentic Commerce Alliance unites AI-first technology companies, researchers, and merchants to build the foundations of open, agentic commerce: shared standards, interoperable agents, and merchant-first data sovereignty. The Agentic Commerce Alliance pools research, talent, and capital so that autonomous, ethical, and accessible AI becomes the default engine of commerce. Join us to accelerate adoption, unlock new markets, and shape the transformation of global commerce. For more information, visit https://agentic-commerce.org/.
About the author
Dominik Witte has been responsible for customer relations as CSO at basecom since 2019. With his extensive experience in implementing international e-commerce projects, he also works as a consultant and, together with his team, supports companies in managing and scaling digital sales channels.
