AI Agents Knock. Retailers Decide How Wide to Open the Door.

Retailers are drawing different lines on how far artificial intelligence (AI) shopping agents can go on their sites. Amazon blocks outside agents while it builds its own. QVC lets agents complete purchases. Walmart lets Google’s Gemini surface its products, then hands the basket to its own Sparky assistant.

Shoppers are forcing the issue. About 23% of U.S. consumers, or 61 million people, now start their shopping research with AI, according to an August survey of 2,191 consumers for the PYMNTS Intelligence report “The 50 Million Consumer Migration: The Data Behind Retail’s Shift Toward AI Discovery.”

A shopper planning a camping trip may never type “tent” into Walmart’s search bar. She could instead tell Gemini she needs gear for a weekend with two kids and a $500 budget, and Gemini can surface products from Walmart and Sam’s Club and move her toward a purchase.

For Walmart, that shopper is valuable. But Walmart may no longer control where she starts shopping.

That’s the tradeoff retailers face as AI agents become a new sales channel. Merchants that spent years tuning websites, apps, search results and ads now have to decide how much of the shopping journey to hand to AI platforms.

Walmart is leaning in. Gemini surfaces Walmart and Sam’s Club products when they’re relevant, PYMNTS reported. Shoppers who link their accounts get recommendations based on past purchases. They can also add items to existing carts and keep their Walmart+ benefits, Walmart said.