From Persuasion to Computation: Reconceptualizing Marketing in Agent-Mediated Markets

Agentic CommerceAI AgentsArtificial Intelligence (AI)Working Papaer
Written By Paul F. Accornero

Abstract

For over 125 years, the marketing funnel—rooted in the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action)—has served as the dominant paradigm for understanding consumer purchase behavior. This conceptual framework, developed during the era of mass advertising, assumes a human consumer progressing through sequential psychological stages from product awareness to final purchase. We argue that the emergence of agentic commerce—economic transactions mediated by autonomous AI agents acting on behalf of consumers—fundamentally invalidates this paradigm. AI agents possess no psychological journey; they cannot be made “aware” through advertising, develop “interest” via storytelling, or feel “desire” through emotional branding. Instead, these algorithmic intermediaries execute logical, deterministic processes that bear no resemblance to human decision-making.

This paper introduces an alternative theoretical framework: the API Call Model. Rather than psychological persuasion, agent-mediated commerce operates through three computational phases: Query (structured data requests to multiple sources), Analysis (systematic attribute comparison against objective functions), and Execution (automated transaction completion). We develop seven propositions examining how this architectural shift transforms marketing from a persuasion discipline centered on human psychology to an engineering discipline centered on machine-readable data infrastructure. Our framework challenges fundamental assumptions in marketing theory regarding the nature of consumer decision-making, the role of brands, and the mechanisms of competitive advantage in increasingly algorithm-mediated markets.

Keywords: agentic commerce, AI agents, marketing funnel, AIDA model, consumer behavior, algorithmic intermediation, agent-mediated markets, marketing theory

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Paul F. Accornero

Paul F. Accornero is a C-suite leader, global strategist, and the author of the forthcoming book, The Algorithmic Shopper. He currently serves as the Global Chief Commercial Officer for one of the world's market-leading consumer goods companies, where he is a key architect of its global commercial strategy. In this role, he directs a multi-billion-euro business with a P&L spanning over 120 countries and is responsible for the performance of thousands of employees worldwide.

Paul stands at the intersection of classic brand building and the next frontier of commerce. His career has been defined by leading profound organizational and digital transformations for some of the world's most iconic consumer brands. For over a decade at the L'Oréal Group, he was instrumental in shaping commercial policy and strategy across the Asia Pacific region, including serving as Chief Commercial Officer for the Consumer Products Division in P.R. China. Since 2008, he has been a driving force behind the globalization of his current company, spearheading the omnichannel strategies that have successfully navigated the disruption of the digital age. His leadership has a proven track record of delivering exceptional results, including driving revenue growth exceeding.

His unique perspective is not merely academic; it has been forged through decades of hands-on operational experience and senior leadership roles on multiple continents. He has served as CEO, President, or Managing Director for major subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, and Singapore, giving him an unparalleled, ground-level view of the global commercial landscape he deconstructs in his work.

A rigorous strategic framework complements this extensive real-world experience. A graduate of the University of Queensland, Paul completed his postgraduate business studies at Harvard Business School, where he studied disruptive strategy under the world’s foremost thought leaders, including the late Clayton Christensen. This blend of C-suite practice and elite academic insight makes him uniquely positioned to write the definitive playbook for the age of AI-driven commerce.

As an active and respected industry leader, Paul is a Fellow of both the Institute of Directors (FIoD) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM) in the UK. He is also a Liveryman of the World Traders Livery Company and a Freeman of the City of London, affiliations that connect him to a deep network of influential business leaders.

The Algorithmic Shopper is more than a book; it is the culmination of a career spent leading on the front lines of commercial evolution.

https://theaipraxis.ai
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Information Asymmetry and Moral Hazard in AI-Mediated Commerce: A Principal-Agent Analysis