Merchant guide · Merchant Agent
What is a merchant agent?
From product questions to after-sales
Clarify the offer and business ownership, then choose a task worth handling through agents. This is a pilot design guide; Frontvia capabilities remain in development and validation.
Maintained by：Frontvia · Published · Updated
What is a merchant agent?
A merchant agent is a business agent that represents a seller to customers and their personal agents. It answers product questions from approved information, passes authorized requests to order and service systems, and returns verifiable status. The merchant still sets prices, stock and refund rules.
From product questions to orders and service
| Stage | Possible agent role | Source and owner |
|---|---|---|
| Product discovery | Explain specifications, suitability and alternatives. | The merchant approves and maintains product information. |
| Availability and quotes | Check availability, currency, shipping and quote expiry. | Store or inventory systems are authoritative; unknowns require confirmation. |
| Purchase and payment | Prepare requests, obtain required approval and check results. | The agreed commerce system accepts orders; the payment provider confirms payment. |
| Fulfilment and service | Look up the authenticated customer’s orders and submit exchange requests. | The merchant owns fulfilment, returns and human escalation. |
What if I already sell on Amazon or Temu?
Choose a small set of products you can sell and fulfil independently. Confirm content rights, independent prices, available stock and service ownership. Marketplace experience does not automatically transfer platform data, payment arrangements or service promises to a new channel. Review independent selling requirements before a pilot.
Initial work includes supplying authorized information, reviewing drafts, agreeing rules and testing one task. Ongoing work includes product updates, exceptions and order review. Effort depends on catalogue complexity and existing systems; no setup-time commitment is available yet.
What if I use Shopify or WooCommerce?
First identify what remains unsolved if your current setup already handles the target agent’s discovery, authorization and requests. Frontvia’s integration direction reuses store products, orders, payments and fulfilment while adding an entrance for external agents. Each platform adapter needs task-level validation; this page does not claim an install-ready plugin.
Do I need to build a store from scratch?
The agent-native approach begins with a few products and one task, retaining pages for people to inspect and approve. You still need payment, fulfilment and service capabilities and a reliable source of prices and stock. Operating without a conventional website still requires business systems.
Validate one worthwhile task first
- Define completion: an accurate order status or a verifiable purchase request.
- Record maintenance effort, human handoffs, qualified demand and completed sales.
- Separate existing customers switching to agents from new buyers; Frontvia pilot applications are not merchant sales.
Choose the next step for your business.
Understand the roles, then choose between connecting a store and creating an agent-native storefront. Frontvia is in development; pilot scope will be agreed around real needs.