On August 5, 2025, Shopify’s Tobi made a bold statement:

“Agents will become the default way people shop. That’s why we’re releasing three tools to bring commerce into agents.”

In other words, he declared Shopify’s intention to expand a world where shoppers can search and buy seamlessly inside an “AI-driven UI.”

Behind this direct message lies something profound: it accelerates Shopify’s philosophy of decentralization—in contrast to the strength of centralized marketplaces like Amazon or Mirakl. Through the Shop App and other steps, Shopify is edging closer to the realization of a decentralized marketplace.

1. Centralized vs. Decentralized: What’s the Difference?

Centralized (Amazon, marketplace models of major retailers, etc.)

A single massive platform controls traffic, search, payments, rules, ratings, and even logistics. Amazon’s FBA is the prime example: it covers storage, delivery, and returns end-to-end, creating speed and trust that meet the “Prime standard.” Economies of scale and consistent delivery experiences are unbeatable weapons.

Mirakl, meanwhile, provides the infrastructure for retailers and B2B companies to build their own centralized marketplaces under their domain. It offers tools for seller management, payment processing, and catalog unification—all designed to keep everything running from the “center.”

Decentralized (Shopify’s ecosystem)

Millions of independent stores transact across diverse touchpoints—websites, social media, apps, chat interfaces—while loosely connected through common layers like Shop Pay and the Shop App. The system is less controlled but more creative, with organic, simultaneous expansions. Tobi’s vision of “shopping through agents” is about using UI (AI) to orchestrate these decentralized experiences.

2. The Building Blocks of Decentralization: Shop App and Cart Behavior

• One cart across multiple stores

  The Shop App allows shoppers to add products from multiple stores into a single cart (though checkout is still store-specific). While not full integration, this “coexistence” creates an experience where the UI unifies shopping across stores.

• Cart synchronization across devices and contexts

  When signed into Shop, shoppers can sync carts between the Shop App and online stores. Add an item on your phone, and later continue on your desktop browser. This “context-bridging” across devices is key to making decentralized shopping feel cohesive.

 These two functions show how the experience layer (UI) itself is becoming marketplace-like—bundling exploration, comparison, and temporary coexistence of items, even when fulfillment remains store-specific.

3. Shopping Within AI UIs: The Bridge to Decentralization

 Shopify’s Storefront MCP connects external AI assistants (e.g., chat UIs) directly with live store data, enabling natural language search, Q&A, cart operations, and checkout.

In theory, the assistant can connect sequentially to multiple MCP servers, “assemble a cross-store cart” → “execute store-specific checkouts.” This UI-driven orchestration mirrors the Shop App model—items from multiple stores coexist in the cart, but payment is per store.

The leap forward: AI handles “search and add” seamlessly, making decentralized commerce far more usable. Shopping through ChatGPT may soon feel like being guided by a concierge—and with continuous refinement of integrations, the experience could become as smooth as shopping in a single department store.

 4. What About Logistics?

 The greatest weapon of centralized marketplaces is logistics. FBA’s “fast, cheap, reliable” service directly drives revenue.

Decentralized commerce struggles here: fulfillment is managed store by store, making consolidated delivery or batch returns difficult. This is why UI-level unification (carts, assistants, recommendations) matters. By smoothing the front half of the experience (discovery, browsing, selection), decentralization can compete against the back half dominance of centralized logistics.

5. Future Outlook: Not Two Poles, but Two Layers

 Centralized Marketplaces

• Stronger in categories where speed and cost are critical (consumables, repeat purchases, instant delivery).

• Consolidated shipping, batch returns, and warranties remain key differentiators.

• Yet, retailer value persists inside centralized ecosystems. Branding, loyalty programs, storytelling, bundling (including shipping) remain areas where individual sellers can shine. Amazon’s evolution toward more diverse fulfillment and seller branding is evidence of this.

 Decentralized Marketplaces

• Thrive in areas where creativity, speed, and diversity matter (emerging brands, communities, creators, niche D2C).

• With UI layers (Shop/AI) bridging stores, shoppers enjoy a fluid “discover → try → add” experience, even if payments/logistics remain per store.

• As standards like MCP spread, agents will normalize the workflow of “search → assemble → checkout by store.”

6. Conclusion: Decentralization Isn’t Chaos—UI Becomes the New Order

Centralized marketplaces rule with logistics.

Decentralized marketplaces rule with experience.

Shop’s multi-store cart and cross-device synchronization already sneak a proto-decentralized marketplace into daily life. And if Tobi’s vision comes true, where shopping through agents becomes the norm, the UI itself becomes the new order.

Interestingly, the condition for joining this decentralized marketplace is simple: use Shopify. The broader the network grows, the greater the disadvantage of not being on Shopify—ironically echoing the exclusivity of centralization.

Centralization wields unbeatable fulfillment.

Decentralization thrives on creativity, discovery, and diversity.

Both models will continue to refine their respective strengths, shaping the next era of marketplaces.