For years, businesses have invested heavily in attracting customers to their websites. Better design, better user experience, better marketing campaigns, and better conversion funnels have been the key ingredients of digital success.
But what if your next customer never visits your website?
Recent research suggests that this future may be closer than many businesses think. Salesforce research found that more than half (54%) of Gen Z consumers have already used AI tools to discover products, while Archrival reports that Gen Z is twice as likely as Millennials to use AI assistants when researching purchases (34% vs. 17%). At the same time, SAP Emarsys research indicates that 58% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers would trust an AI agent to compare products and recommend the best option on their behalf.
These findings point to a significant shift in consumer behavior. AI is no longer simply helping users search for information—it is increasingly becoming part of the purchasing journey itself.
Today, consumers use AI to compare prices, analyze reviews, and identify the best offers. Tomorrow, AI may go much further. This next stage is often referred to as Agentic Commerce: a world where AI agents can act on behalf of consumers within predefined budgets, preferences, and rules.
Imagine telling your AI assistant:
“Find me the best noise-cancelling headphones under $300 and have them delivered before Friday.”
Instead of spending time browsing websites, comparing options, and filling out checkout forms, the AI agent performs the entire process, from product discovery to payment initiation and delivery coordination.
According to McKinsey, Agentic Commerce has the potential to reshape trillions of dollars in global commerce. The firm argues that businesses will need to become “agent-ready” by investing in structured product data, machine-readable content, APIs, and real-time inventory visibility. In other words, future competitiveness may depend not only on how effectively businesses communicate with customers, but also on how effectively they communicate with AI agents.
The payments industry is already preparing for this shift. Mastercard recently announced Agent Pay, an initiative designed to enable trusted AI agents to transact securely on behalf of consumers and businesses. Industry discussions involving Mastercard, Stripe, and other ecosystem participants are increasingly focused on building the identity, authorization, and trust frameworks necessary for AI-driven commerce. Visa has also identified Agentic Commerce as one of the trends expected to shape the future of digital commerce and payment experiences.
The implications for merchants are significant.
Historically, businesses competed through branding, website design, advertising, and customer experience. In an AI-driven world, success may increasingly depend on factors that customers never see. Structured product data, machine-readable content, accurate inventory information, transparent pricing, search quality, and API accessibility may become more important than visual design alone.
AI agents do not care how beautiful a website looks. They care whether they can quickly find relevant products, compare alternatives, verify availability, and complete transactions efficiently on behalf of their users.
This raises a strategic question for businesses.
For the last decade, organizations asked themselves:
“How do we attract more visitors to our website?”
Over the next decade, they may need to ask:
“How do we ensure AI agents can find, understand, and recommend our products?”
Businesses that become “AI-ready” will be better positioned to participate in the next generation of commerce. Those that fail to adapt may discover that being invisible to AI agents becomes just as damaging as being invisible to customers.
Agentic Payments are not simply another payment method. They represent the foundation of a new commerce model where machines increasingly act on behalf of people. As consumer trust in AI grows and payment networks build the infrastructure required for autonomous transactions, businesses must prepare for a future where customers are not the only ones shopping.
Their AI agents will be shopping too.
The question is no longer whether AI will influence purchasing decisions.
The question is whether your business will be ready when AI starts making them.
References & Further Reading
McKinsey & Company (2025) – The Agentic Commerce Opportunity: How AI Agents Are Ushering in a New Era for Consumers and Merchants
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-agentic-commerce-opportunity-how-ai-agents-are-ushering-in-a-new-era-for-consumers-and-merchants
Mastercard (2026) – Mastercard Launches Agent Pay for Machines
https://www.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2026/june/mastercard-launches-agent-pay-for-machines.html
Axios (2026) – Mastercard Moves to Set the Rules for AI Commerce
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/20/mastercard-ai-checkout-agentic-commerce
SAP Emarsys / Axios (2026) – AI Is Reshaping How We Shop
https://www.axios.com/sponsored/ai-is-reshaping-how-we-shop-heres-how-brands-can-keep-up
Salesforce Research (2026) – Research cited in The Agentic Commerce Playbook
https://ecomexpo.eu/blog/agentic-commerce-playbook-2026.html
Archrival Research (2026) – How Gen Z Uses AI During Shopping
https://www.vogue.com/article/pinterest-ceo-bill-ready-is-taking-big-swings-to-win-gen-z
Mastercard & Stripe (2026) – Agentic Shopping Infrastructure
https://www.pymnts.com/partnerships/2026/mastercard-and-stripe-help-wizard-personalize-agentic-shopping/