Designing the Next Gen Shopping Experience

As shopping evolves from search-led experiences to AI-powered and socially driven discovery, this project explores how consumers are embracing new ways to shop through platforms like Agentic Commerce and TikTok Shop.

ROLE

Product Designer

FOCUS

UX Strategy

PLATFORM

Copilot + TikTok Shop + ESW

PROJECT TYPE

Conceptual / Vision 

CONTEXT
Shopping is changing. The traditional journey 'Search → Browse → Compare → Checkout' was designed around the assumption that shoppers know what they want and are willing to navigate multiple steps to find it. But emerging commerce behaviors are changing that model.
Consumers increasingly discover products through creators and short video, while AI is creating a new way to search, compare and make purchase decisions through natural conversation. 
MARKET OPPORTUNITY
Agentic commerce represents the next evolution of digital retail — where AI agents discover, recommend, and execute purchases autonomously on behalf of consumers. 
  • McKinsey projects agentic commerce at $3-5 trillion globally by 2030
  • AI-driven traffic to e-commerce grew 693% during 2025 holiday season (Adobe)
  • Walmart reports substantial referral traffic from AI-powered shopping experiences
  • Google launched Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) in January 2026 with Walmart, Target, Shopify, and 20+ partners
  • OpenAI/Stripe launched Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) in September 2025
Social commerce is one of the fastest-growing segments of global e‑commerce, driven by mobile usage and creator-led discovery
  • Access to a large, highly engaged, mobile-first audience that is difficult and increasingly expensive to reach through traditional digital channels.
  • Industry forecasts (e.g. Accenture, McKinsey, Statista) estimate social commerce to grow at 2–3× the rate of traditional e‑commerce over the coming years
  • By mid‑decade, social commerce is expected to represent a meaningful share (10–20%) of total online retail sales in several markets
  • 58% of TikTok users globally have made purchases directly within the app, according to 2025–2026 industry reports
  • 71% of TikTok shoppers are inspired to shop after discovering products organically in their feed
AGENTIC COMMERCE JOURNEY
Instead of asking shoppers to find the right product, the shopper describes what they need. The shopper remains in control, but much of the research and navigation disappears.
User enters a prompt:
"I want to buy a vegan, cruelty free face serum mist"
The AI can then:
Understand intent → Find relevant products → Compare options → Explain trade-offs → Recommend → Ask for approval
Smartphone screen displaying a message that says, 'I want to buy a vegan, cruelty free face serum mist.'
A smartphone screen showing a shopping conversation about a vegan, cruelty-free face serum mist. The screen displays a product named Luma Soothing Serum Mist priced at €68.00, with a picture of the serum bottle on a poolside background.
Smartphone screen displaying a confirmation message for a successfully placed order with an app logo for Luma, featuring a small image of a medication or supplement bottle.
Mobile screen showing an online order checkout for Luma Soothing Serum Mist, priced at €68, with shipping Free, taxes €2.99, total €70.99, and a payment button. 
SOCIAL COMMERCE JOURNEY
Platforms such as TikTok Shop compress discovery and purchasing into the same environment. Instead of actively searching, shoppers can discover products through creators, content, recommendations, and social proof.
The journey becomes:
Creator content → Product discovery → Product selection → In-app checkout
Screenshop of an online store’s skincare product list featuring four products: Luma Pure Elixir, Luma Glow Serum, Luma Toner Pads, and Luma Plumping Lip Balm.
A woman with long dark hair holding a dropper and a green bottle labeled "Luma", demonstrating a skincare product in a TikTok video.
Mobile phone screen showing online shopping checkout page for Luma Pure Elixir, with options for Google Pay, credit/debit card, and PayPal, total cost €68, free 3-day delivery, and a red 'Place order' button.
A cosmetic product, Luma Pure Elixir, in a green glass bottle with a dropper, surrounded by aloe vera slices and white flowers, on a green background. 
ROLE OF ESW
TikTok helps shoppers discover, AI helps shoppers decide while ESW enables them to buy globally without leaving the experience? This creates an entirely new shopping model. In this ecosystem, ESW becomes the infrastructure layer connecting discovery, shopping, and fulfillment.

  • Makes catalogs AI-discoverable
  • Enriches product information
  • Enables AI-driven checkout experiences
  • Handles international payments and compliance
  • Syncs products and inventory
  • Processes orders
  • Manages fulfillment
  • Supports returns and customer care
  • Provides a unified operational workflow
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The next major shift in commerce is not another website redesign. It is moving from 'Search → Browse → Buy' to 'Discover → Validate → Approve'

TikTok Shop owns the discovery moment. Agentic Commerce owns the decision-making moment. Together, they create a future where shopping becomes increasingly conversational, personalized, and frictionless, with platforms like ESW powering the commerce infrastructure behind the scenes.