Architecting For Agentic Commerce

Introduction: From Human Discovery to Autonomous Execution

The transition from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Agentic Commerce requires a shift from human-readability to Machine-Verifiable Utility. As AI systems prioritise semantic orthogonality, selecting content that provides unique information gain rather than restating consensus knowledge; brands must demonstrate mathematical differentiation through structured data.

Google Research’s GIST framework (Greedy Independent Set Thresholding, published January 23, 2026) formalises this principle: when computational resources are limited, AI systems filter semantically similar content, selecting only the highest-utility source from each “conflict radius.” To remain discoverable, your Schema.org entities must achieve orthogonality through proprietary specificity and validated relationships, whilst meeting the structural requirements of the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) for machine-parsable commercial contracts.


1. Semantic Orthogonality: Standing Out in AI’s Selection Process

Here’s the challenge: when an AI agent searches for “Schema.org knowledge graph validation services,” it encounters hundreds of similar agencies. How does it choose?

GIST (Greedy Independent Set Thresholding) provides the answer. Published by Google Research on January 23, 2026, GIST eliminates redundant content to reduce GPU processing costs. If your brand’s semantic signature falls within the “conflict radius” of an established authority, you’re filtered out—not because you’re wrong, but because you’re redundant.

The Orthogonality Solution

Semantic orthogonality means your content contains information that consensus sources lack:

  • Proprietary terminology you’ve defined (e.g., “Digital Obscurity,” “GraphRAG,” “Entity Stacking”)
  • Edge cases your competitors don’t address (specific WordPress MCP configurations, cross-domain @id resolution patterns)
  • Validated integrations you actually support (MCP endpoints at specific URLs, documented API capabilities)
  • Quantified commitments (1-3 day delivery, specific SLA guarantees)

Non-Orthogonal (Generic):

“We provide SEO services to help businesses improve their online visibility through strategic optimisation techniques.”

Orthogonal (Differentiated):

Service entity delivers Report with serviceOutput = “Cross-domain @id integrity validation against Schema.org canonical specifications (github.com/schemaorg/schemaorg), including duplicate entity detection across WordPress Yoast, Rank Math, and Schema Pro implementations.”


2. ATP: The Missing Piece in Agentic Commerce

Here’s where most “AI SEO” guidance fails: it focuses entirely on discovery whilst ignoring transactions.

An AI agent discovering your product is worthless if it can’t determine when you can deliver. This is where Available To Promise (ATP) becomes critical.

What ATP Actually Means

ATP = (Quantity On Hand + Incoming Supply) – Committed Demand

For example:

  • Current stock: 80 units
  • Already promised to customers: 50 units
  • Incoming shipment (3 days): 30 units

Your ATP:

  • Today: 30 units (80 – 50)
  • In 3 days: 60 units (30 + 30)

Why AI Agents Need ATP

When Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT evaluate agentic commerce readiness, they’re calculating risk:

Without ATP (traditional e-commerce):

{
  "@type": "Offer",
  "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
}

→ AI agent’s question: “In stock means what? Available now? Tomorrow? Next week?”

With ATP (agentic-ready):

{
  "@type": "Offer",
  "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
  "availabilityStarts": "2026-01-27T00:00:00Z",
  "availabilityEnds": "2026-01-29T23:59:59Z",
  "deliveryLeadTime": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "minValue": 1,
    "maxValue": 3,
    "unitCode": "DAY"
  },
  "inventoryLevel": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "value": 30
  }
}

→ AI agent’s confidence: “30 units available now, delivery 1-3 days, commitment window closes 29th January.”

The ATP Workflow for Agentic Commerce

Step 1: AI Agent Discovery (via GIST orthogonality)

  • Agent searches for “enterprise analytics consulting UK”
  • Your entity demonstrates orthogonality (Qlik Elite Partner + specific ERP integrations + MCP endpoints)
  • Agent selects you over generic competitors

Step 2: ATP Verification (via UCP)

  • Agent queries: “Can this provider deliver AI Discoverability Assessment within required timeframe?”
  • Your schema responds: deliveryLeadTime = 1-3 days, availability = InStock until 29th Jan
  • Agent calculates risk: LOW (specific commitment, time-bounded)

Step 3: Commercial Contract Validation

  • Agent verifies returnPolicy (MerchantReturnUnlimited)
  • Agent confirms priceSpecification (£495, valid through 31 Dec 2026)
  • Agent checks termsOfService (machine-readable URL)

Step 4: Autonomous Transaction

  • Agent presents option to user: “VISEON can deliver assessment in 1-3 days, £495, unlimited returns”
  • User authorises
  • Agent executes transaction via UCP manifest at /.well-known/ucp

3. Implementing ATP in Schema.org

The Four ATP Dimensions

1. Temporal Availability

{
  "@type": "Offer",
  "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
  "availabilityStarts": "2026-01-27T09:00:00Z",
  "availabilityEnds": "2026-02-28T17:00:00Z"
}

What this tells AI: “Available from 27 Jan through 28 Feb, office hours UK time.”

2. Delivery Windows

{
  "deliveryLeadTime": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "minValue": 1,
    "maxValue": 3,
    "unitCode": "DAY"
  },
  "eligibleRegion": {
    "@type": "Country",
    "name": "GB"
  }
}

What this tells AI: “1-3 business days delivery, UK only.”

3. Inventory Transparency

{
  "inventoryLevel": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "value": 30
  }
}

What this tells AI: “30 units currently available (ATP calculation already done).”

4. Commitment Boundaries

{
  "priceValidUntil": "2026-12-31",
  "validFrom": "2026-01-01",
  "validThrough": "2026-12-31"
}

What this tells AI: “Price guaranteed through end of year.”

ATP + Orthogonality = Agentic Readiness

Your competitive advantage comes from combining these:

Generic competitor:

  • Generic service description
  • No ATP data
  • Simple “InStock” flag
  • No delivery specificity

Your agentic-ready entity:

  • Orthogonal service definition (proprietary methodology, specific tools, documented expertise)
  • Complete ATP workflow (temporal bounds, delivery windows, inventory levels)
  • Machine-parsable commercial contract (return policy, pricing, terms)
  • Validated inverse edges (closing all relationship loops)

4. The Commercial Contract: UCP Compliance

AI agents won’t execute transactions without verifiable commercial policies. The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) requires three dimensions of orthogonal verification:

Commercial Orthogonality

Your pricing and availability differentiate from marketplace defaults:

{
  "@type": "Offer",
  "priceSpecification": {
    "@type": "UnitPriceSpecification",
    "price": "495.00",
    "priceCurrency": "GBP",
    "validFrom": "2026-01-01",
    "validThrough": "2026-12-31"
  },
  "deliveryLeadTime": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "minValue": 1,
    "maxValue": 3,
    "unitCode": "DAY"
  },
  "availabilityStarts": "2026-01-27T00:00:00Z",
  "inventoryLevel": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "value": 30
  }
}

Capability Orthogonality

What you deliver that generic providers don’t:

{
  "@type": "Service",
  "additionalType": "https://viseon.io/terms/#ai-discoverability-assessment",
  "serviceOutput": {
    "@type": "Dataset",
    "description": "Complete catalogue of Schema.org entities with @id reference integrity validation",
    "distribution": {
      "@type": "DataDownload",
      "encodingFormat": "application/json",
      "contentUrl": "https://viseon.io/api/assessments/{id}/download"
    }
  }
}

Risk Orthogonality

Machine-verifiable policies that reduce transaction uncertainty:

{
  "returnPolicy": {
    "@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy",
    "returnPolicyCategory": "https://schema.org/MerchantReturnUnlimited",
    "returnPolicyCountry": "GB",
    "returnMethod": "https://schema.org/ReturnByMail",
    "returnFees": "https://schema.org/FreeReturn",
    "merchantReturnDays": 30
  }
}

5. Implementation Checklist

Discovery Layer (GIST Orthogonality)

  • [ ] Define proprietary terminology with DefinedTerm entities
  • [ ] Link to authoritative sources (Wikipedia, Schema.org GitHub)
  • [ ] Document specific integrations (MCP endpoints, API URLs)
  • [ ] Specify niche expertise (edge cases, local knowledge)

Transaction Layer (UCP + ATP)

  • [ ] Implement temporal availability bounds (availabilityStarts, availabilityEnds)
  • [ ] Specify delivery windows (deliveryLeadTime with min/max/unit)
  • [ ] Expose inventory levels (inventoryLevel QuantitativeValue)
  • [ ] Define pricing windows (priceValidUntil, validFrom/Through)
  • [ ] Nest complete return policy (MerchantReturnPolicy with all fields)
  • [ ] Publish UCP manifest (/.well-known/ucp with capabilities)

Relationship Layer (Inverse Edges)

  • [ ] Close identity loop (mainEntitymainEntityOfPage)
  • [ ] Close authority loop (aboutsubjectOf)
  • [ ] Close commercial loop (offersreturnPolicy)
  • [ ] Close capability loop (providerprovidesService)

Key Takeaway

Agentic commerce isn’t about AI agents scraping your website—it’s about AI agents executing autonomous transactions based on machine-verifiable contracts.

The brands that win are those who provide:

  1. Orthogonal differentiation (unique value AI can’t find elsewhere)
  2. ATP transparency (specific availability and delivery commitments)
  3. Commercial certainty (complete policies AI can verify and trust)

Get this right, and when someone asks ChatGPT “find me a Schema.org validation service that can deliver in 48 hours,” your entity doesn’t just appear in results—it gets the transaction.