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Agentic commerce for B2B stores
A B2B store with gated pricing and approved accounts is rarely directly purchasable by an agent, and it is still evaluated by one. Buyers delegate research long before they delegate purchasing, so the practical requirement is publishing enough for a business buyer to shortlist you: what you sell, to whom, in what quantities, on what terms.
Research is delegated long before purchasing
A buyer asking an assistant which suppliers can provide a component at a quantity, to a specification, delivered to a country, is doing shortlisting rather than buying. Nothing about that requires a transaction, and every part of it requires published facts.
The invisibility is the problem: the two suppliers who did not make the shortlist receive no signal at all.
What to publish without publishing prices
- What you actually sell, in specifications rather than category names.
- Who you sell to: territories, sectors, any qualification requirements.
- Minimum order quantities and typical lead times.
- Certifications, compliance and standards you meet, named specifically.
- How to get a quote, as a stated process rather than a contact form with no context.
None of that is commercially sensitive and most B2B sites omit at least half of it.
The catalogue problem
B2B catalogues are frequently behind a login in their entirety, which makes the store invisible rather than protected. A public catalogue without pricing is a common middle position: buyers can establish that you supply the thing, and pricing stays a conversation.
See is my store visible to AI shopping agents.
Where purchase delegation is arriving
Repeat and replenishment ordering is the obvious first case, since the supplier decision was already made and what remains is execution. If you serve that pattern, a reorder path that works without a human clicking through is worth more here than anything on your marketing pages.
Questions
We do not publish prices. Are we excluded?
From direct purchase, usually yes, and from consideration, no. A buyer researching suppliers is asking who can supply a thing at a quantity on terms, and every part of that except the price can be published.
Should we publish prices then?
That is a commercial decision with real arguments on both sides and it is not the first question. Publishing what you sell, your minimum quantities, your lead times and your terms costs you nothing and is usually missing.
Do our customers actually use assistants for this?
Research delegation arrives well ahead of purchase delegation, and it is far less visible. A buyer shortlisting three suppliers with an assistant leaves no trace on the two that did not make the list.