The war for Agentic Commerce

March 17, 2026 | Seattle, WA

Has gone from a future theory to an official battle in the present. And as is often the case in retail, the two giants have chosen diametrically opposed paths.

We are witnessing a clash of philosophies that will define how we shop in the next decade. On one side, Amazon is doubling down on its closed ecosystem. On the other, Walmart is throwing open the front door.

The Strategic Abyss

The difference isn't subtle; it's a declaration of principles:

Amazon is actively blocking third-party AI agents (like ChatGPT or Perplexity) from navigating its site. Its message is clear: if you want to shop with AI on Amazon, you have to use Rufus, its internal assistant.

Walmart is doing the opposite. They have joined open protocols (like the Universal Commerce Protocol) to allow any external AI assistant to enter, search, and buy on their platform.

The Eyeball Factor

Why does Amazon allow itself to be so closed off? Because it still has that luxury. They possess the largest amount of product data on the planet and the most loyal user base in e-commerce. In their minds, they don't "need" to be open yet because we're already there.

It's the classic walled garden mentality. They're betting that their wall is high enough that we don't mind being "trapped" inside.

The Risk of Tomorrow

This is where Amazon's strategy raises doubts for me. If Rufus remains just a shopping assistant, users will begin their discovery journeys on general-purpose generative AI platforms. By blocking these agents, Amazon risks being left out of the initial discovery cycle.

My interpretation is simple: "open" usually wins "closed" in the long run.

If AI becomes our primary way of interacting with the world, Walmart is paving the way to be where the user is. Amazon, on the other hand, forces the user to come to them.

My Conclusion: The Prime Dilemma

If Amazon isn't already working on a direct competitor to ChatGPT as an extension of its Prime offering one that serves as its own gateway to Agentic Commerce then someone in its AI division needs to seriously rethink its strategy.

Amazon has the power to ignore the open web today, but in the age of agents, relevance isn't inherited; it's maintained by enabling the flow of value to be seamless.