How AI Is Transforming E-Commerce with Zero Code

Why Agentic Commerce Could Be the Biggest Shift in Online Shopping Since Mobile 

Discover B2B Vault, hosted by Allen Kopelman and sponsored by Nationwide Payment Systems. Explore business, payments, AI, sales, fintech, fraud, and entrepreneurship.

Presented by Allen Kopelman, CEO — Nationwide Payment Systems-Host of B2B Vault: The Biz2Biz Podcast 

As Seen in B2B Vault Podcast

AI OVERVIEW

Featuring Kumar Senthil, CEO of Firmly.ai, on B2B Vault: The Biz to Biz Podcast 

Artificial Intelligence is changing e-commerce faster than almost any technology we've seen in the last two decades. 

For years, online retailers have focused on improving websites, optimizing checkout pages, investing in SEO, buying Google Ads, and improving conversion rates. Today, a new opportunity is emerging that could fundamentally change how customers discover and purchase products. 

That opportunity is Agentic Commerce. 

On this episode of B2B Vault: The Biz to Biz Podcast, host Allen Kopelman sat down with Kumar Senthil, CEO of Firmly.ai, to discuss how AI shopping assistants, Large Language Models (LLMs), and zero-code integrations are reshaping online retail—and why merchants should start preparing now. 

The biggest surprise? 

Businesses can begin participating in AI-powered commerce without hiring developers or rebuilding their websites. 

Meet Kumar Senthil 

Before founding Firmly.ai, Kumar Senthil helped build some of the world's largest e-commerce platforms. 

His background includes leadership roles at: 

• Samsung 

• Groupon 

• Microsoft 

While leading Samsung's global e-commerce business, Kumar expanded Samsung.com from approximately $50 million to more than $1 billion in online sales. 

During that experience, he encountered a problem almost every growing e-commerce company faces: 

Every new sales channel requires another software integration. 

Eventually, maintaining integrations became more difficult than creating them. 

That realization led to the creation of Firmly.ai. 

The Hidden Cost of E-Commerce Growth 

Most merchants assume growth simply means selling through more channels. 

Reality is different. 

Every new channel often requires: 

• API integrations 

• Developer resources 

• Testing 

• Maintenance 

• Ongoing support 

• Inventory synchronization 

• Pricing updates 

As businesses grow, integration itself becomes a major expense. 

Kumar calls this the integration tax. 

The more integrations a business builds, the harder it becomes to maintain them. 

Why Zero-Code Matters 

Most business owners don't have software engineers waiting for new projects. 

Even large enterprises often have technology roadmaps scheduled months in advance. 

Adding another integration usually means: 

• waiting 

• reprioritizing projects 

• increasing costs 

• delaying launches 

Firmly.ai was built around one guiding principle: 

Zero engineering work for the merchant. 

Instead of asking developers to build another connection, the platform automatically understands how an existing e-commerce site communicates with its backend. 

That dramatically reduces implementation time while allowing merchants to begin participating in AI-driven commerce much faster. 

AI Is Creating New Sales Channels 

Traditionally, customers found products through: 

• Google Search 

• Amazon 

• Social Media 

• Email 

• Paid Advertising 

AI is adding another discovery layer. 

Increasingly, customers are asking: 

"Find me the best laptop under $1,000." 

"Recommend the best running shoes for flat feet." 

"Notify me when this TV drops below $500." 

Rather than browsing dozens of websites, AI assistants may eventually complete much of that work automatically. 

For merchants, the challenge becomes making sure their products are visible wherever AI shoppers are looking. 

What Is an AI Shopping Assistant? 

One of the easiest ways merchants can begin using AI today is through an AI-powered shopping assistant on their own website. 

Instead of forcing visitors to search through pages of product information, an AI assistant can instantly answer questions like: 

• Is this product compatible? 

• What's your return policy? 

• Do you offer financing? 

• How long is shipping? 

• Is this item in stock? 

• What's the warranty? 

• Where is my order? 

Customers receive answers immediately without searching multiple pages or contacting customer support. 

Every Unanswered Question Costs Sales 

One of the most interesting insights from the podcast was surprisingly simple. 

Customers often leave a website because they cannot quickly find an answer. 

Not because the product is wrong. 

Not because the price is too high. 

Simply because the answer wasn't available. 

AI changes that. 

If a visitor asks a question your website doesn't answer, the system can: 

• Record the question 

• Report it to the merchant 

• Allow the merchant to create an answer 

• Remember that answer permanently 

Every future shopper benefits. 

Your website becomes smarter over time. 

AI Doesn't Replace Your Website 

Many business owners worry that AI will replace their existing e-commerce investment. 

Instead, AI enhances it. 

Your website remains: 

• Merchant of record 

• Inventory source 

• Pricing authority 

• Product catalog 

• Customer relationship hub 

AI simply helps customers discover products faster and purchase with greater confidence. 

The Future of AI Purchasing 

Allen and Kumar discussed one of the hottest topics in payments today: 

Can AI eventually buy products for consumers? 

The answer is yes—but with safeguards. 

Today's realistic use case looks something like this: 

A customer tells an AI assistant: 

"Buy this television if the price drops below $500 within the next 30 days." 

The customer has already identified: 

• the product 

• the spending limit 

• the timeframe 

When those conditions are met, the purchase can proceed according to the customer's authorization. 

This creates convenience without giving AI unlimited purchasing power. 

Security Still Comes First 

One concern many business owners have is: 

"What happens if an AI agent goes rogue?" 

Kumar emphasized that responsible AI commerce must include: 

• explicit customer authorization 

• purchase intent 

• payment limits 

• secure payment processing 

• PCI DSS compliance 

• encrypted payment transmission 

Businesses should never sacrifice security simply to adopt new technology. 

Why PCI Compliance Matters 

As AI becomes more involved in customer conversations and payment collection, merchants must ensure that payment information is handled securely. 

Questions every business should ask include: 

• Is the platform PCI DSS compliant? 

• Is payment data encrypted? 

• Is cardholder data stored? 

• Does payment information flow directly to the processor? 

• Who is responsible for compliance? 

AI does not eliminate payment security requirements. 

It makes them even more important. 

Why Integration-Free Commerce Matters 

One of Firmly.ai's biggest competitive advantages is eliminating the need for merchants to maintain duplicate systems. 

Some competing solutions require merchants to: 

• upload product catalogs 

• synchronize inventory 

• update prices manually 

• maintain separate databases 

That creates opportunities for errors. 

For example: 

Your website says a product costs $199. 

The AI catalog still says $179. 

Customers become confused. 

Trust is lost. 

Firmly instead reads directly from the merchant's existing systems, keeping pricing and inventory synchronized automatically. 

Small Businesses Benefit Too 

Many AI technologies initially target enterprise companies. 

Agentic Commerce is different. 

Because implementation requires little or no engineering effort, even smaller online retailers can begin exploring AI-powered commerce. 

That levels the playing field. 

A smaller merchant can compete using the same emerging AI shopping channels as much larger competitors. 

Three Steps Every E-Commerce Business Should Take Today 

According to Kumar, online retailers should begin preparing now. 

1. Add an AI Shopping Assistant

Customers expect immediate answers. 

Helping them instantly improves the buying experience and reduces abandoned sessions. 

2. Prepare for AI Sales Channels

Consumers will increasingly shop through AI assistants. 

Merchants should ensure their products are ready to be discovered wherever those assistants operate. 

3. Choose Solutions That Remove Complexity

The easier AI is to implement, the faster businesses can begin benefiting from it. 

Zero-code deployment dramatically reduces friction. 

Final Thoughts 

Every major shift in e-commerce has followed a familiar pattern. 

First came websites. 

Then mobile commerce. 

Then marketplaces. 

Then social commerce. 

Now comes AI-assisted commerce. 

Businesses that begin experimenting today will likely gain valuable experience before AI shopping becomes mainstream. 

The future isn't replacing merchants. 

It's giving merchants new ways to reach customers. 

Those who prepare early will be in the best position to benefit as AI becomes another everyday shopping channel. 

Listen to B2B Vault 

This episode of B2B Vault: The Biz to Biz Podcast featured Kumar Senthil, CEO of Firmly.ai, discussing Agentic Commerce, AI shopping assistants, and the future of online retail. 

Hosted by Allen Kopelman and sponsored by Nationwide Payment Systems, B2B Vault brings entrepreneurs, technology leaders, payment experts, and innovators together to help business owners stay ahead of rapidly changing trends. 

Watch or listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and your favorite podcast platform.