Standing At The Crossroads: The Dawn Of Agentic Commerce

As agentic commerce transforms the logistics landscape, forward-thinking organizations stand at a pivotal moment to harness automation, AI, and unified platforms for competitive advantage.

Reflections from NRF 2026

Walking the floors of the Javits Center this week at the NRF'26 Retail's Big Show, I witnessed the retail industry reach an inflection point.  Beyond the booths and keynotes, the real value this year was in the conversations — reconnecting with old friends, meeting new partners, and catching up with industry veterans who've been in the trenches for decades.

This year's NRF week in New York City again brought the commerce community together to speak about what we have seen: 

NRF 2024: AI Curiosity. "What could AI do?"
NRF 2025: AI Application. Agentic AI enters our vocabulary.
NRF 2026: AI Execution. The protocols have arrived.

This is a transformative shift in the retail and logistics industry.

Reimagining Logistics: The Rise of Agentic Commerce

The rise of agentic commerce has emerged from years of incremental innovation, culminating in a model in which intelligent agents not only assist but also autonomously execute complex transactions and supply chain operations. The conversations at NRF 2026 reflected a consensus: we have reached a crossroads where the integration of AI, standardized protocols, and operational platforms is poised to redefine how commerce operates end-to-end.

The Protocol Stack That Matters

Standardization is the future.

The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), co-developed by Google and Shopify, is a new open standard designed to enable seamless, end-to-end shopping experiences within AI platforms (known as "agentic commerce").

onX (Order Network eXchange) is the first open standard for how orders, inventory, and fulfillment data move across retail systems, connecting selling channels with logistics for AI-ready, efficient commerce.

Add in EDI complexity, TMS integrations, and carrier standards, and you have a complete picture. 

Together, these protocols are building the foundation for end-to-end commerce—from product discovery to post-purchase support —allowing AI agents to interact with and transact with merchants at scale without the need for custom integrations on every platform.

Agentic commerce moves beyond the limitations of legacy systems and fragmented workflows. Instead, it creates a seamless ecosystem in which AI-driven agents interact directly with unified protocols, automating and optimizing every aspect of the supply chain. This shift empowers organizations to respond faster to market demands, minimize friction, and unlock new efficiencies previously hindered by manual processes and systemic silos.

AI-Driven Automation: Catalyzing Operational Agility

AI-driven automation is now at the heart of operational agility within the supply chain. With the advent of agentic AI, companies can deploy autonomous agents that not only interpret data but also act on it—initiating orders, managing exceptions, and orchestrating fulfillment with unprecedented speed and precision. The focus has shifted from exploring AI’s potential to executing on its promise, as demonstrated by the deployment of standardized protocols like UCP (for order creation) and onX (for order fulfillment), as mentioned above.

The Missing Layer

Protocols establish the language. Platforms do the work.

The best insight I heard at NRF: "We've moved beyond the hype of chatbots. Agents don't just assist — they act."

That's exactly the point.

Once AI reduces order-creation friction, complexity shifts downstream to fulfillment and delivery.

The real opportunity is end-to-end supply chain connectivity — from demand capture to final mile.

Between UCP and onX sits the operational layer:

• Connect to protocols
• Unify data
• Optimize execution

Operators who connect early get flexibility.

Those who wait will integrate under duress.

This automation is not just about efficiency—it’s about resilience and scalability. By reducing manual intervention, organizations can more easily adapt to demand surges, complex routing requirements, and evolving customer expectations. AI-driven automation also opens the door for smaller, more agile players to compete on equal footing with industry giants, democratizing access to best-in-class supply chain capabilities.

Unified Commerce Platforms: Connecting Data Across the Supply Chain

The emergence of unified commerce platforms is breaking down historical barriers between sales channels, warehouses, carriers, and back-office systems. Solutions like the Osa Unified Commerce Platform act as an orchestration layer, connecting disparate protocols and data sources to create a single, actionable source of truth across the enterprise. This integration is critical to achieving true end-to-end visibility and control.

The Enhancement Layer: Where Osa Bridges the Gap

While protocols provide the "grammar" for commerce, the real-world data moving through them is often messy, fragmented, and incomplete. This is where the Enhancement Layer becomes the critical differentiator. It acts as the intelligent connective tissue that cleanses, enriches, and orchestrates data in real-time.

At Osa Commerce, our platform serves as this essential layer. We transform raw protocol signals into high-fidelity, actionable execution. We don't just pass data through — we enhance it to ensure that when an AI agent makes a promise at checkout, the physical supply chain has the visibility and intelligence to keep it.

This layer enables a brand to move from "standardized communication" to "optimized performance."

Unified platforms enable real-time inventory synchronization, seamless order management, and optimized fulfillment routing. By consolidating WMS, OMS, and integration tools under one roof, organizations can reduce complexity, accelerate onboarding, and ensure data consistency across every touchpoint. The result is a more agile, responsive, and customer-centric supply chain capable of supporting omnichannel growth and rapid scaling.

David's New Slingshot

Agentic AI is the greatest opportunity for smaller, agile companies to compete with established giants since the advent of the internet.

When protocols democratize connectivity, and AI agents level the playing field, the question shifts from "How big is your infrastructure?" to "How well can you execute?"

The hype cycle is over. The execution era has begun.

The Road Ahead

As agentic commerce becomes the new standard, logistics leaders must embrace a mindset of continuous innovation and strategic integration. The opportunity lies in early adoption of protocols and enhancement layers—such as those offered by Osa Commerce—that unify and enrich data across all operational systems. Organizations that move swiftly will gain the flexibility to adapt, optimize, and differentiate in a hyper-competitive market.

Heading to Manifest

If execution is your focus, visit us at Booth 1253 to see how Osa Commerce bridges the gap between demand protocols and fulfillment reality.

How will demand, fulfillment, and delivery connect in your supply chain? Let's explore together at Manifest 2026.