From Pymnts · PYMNTS · · 1m 20s
Agentic commerce has a trust problem
Mastercard and PYMNTS say AI shopping agents will only scale if consumers and merchants feel as protected as they do online today.
In brief
Mastercard and PYMNTS say AI shopping agents will only scale if consumers and merchants feel as protected as they do online today. Agentic commerce will grow slowly unless it gives shoppers clear communication and merchants real control over how AI agents represent them. Originally reported by Pymnts.
Trust comes first
Mastercard says agentic commerce cannot scale until shoppers and merchants trust AI agents as much as they trust standard eCommerce checkout.
“Agentic commerce needs to build trust among both consumers and merchants to scale”
Borrow from eCommerce
Roundtable participants said shoppers need familiar signals after an order, including clear updates, expectation setting, and open communication.
Merchants fear losing control
Gaurang Shah said merchants worry that AI agents could take over the shopping experience. Mastercard says its tools let brands control agent interactions.
“lose control of the shopping experience”
The shift will take years
Executives agreed that mass adoption will not happen overnight. Some expect big retailers to gain, while others think agents may help shoppers find new sellers.
“it will take years for a large-scale shift to agentic commerce to unfold”
Consumers are already trying it
PYMNTS Intelligence found about half of American adults have used AI to help buy retail goods, and 22% now start online retail searches in an AI tool.
“22% now begin online retail search in an AI tool”
Early examples are live
Mastercard pointed to Amazon’s Buy For Me and Google’s AI Mode as signs that agentic buying is already moving from theory into real checkout flows.
What matters most
Agentic commerce will grow slowly unless it gives shoppers clear communication and merchants real control over how AI agents represent them.
