Schweizer Online-Giganten bezweifeln, dass sich die KI-Agenten fürs Shopping durchsetzen werden

Two Swiss online retailers, Galaxus and Brack, are preparing themselves for the implementation of AI shopping assistants. However, it is uncertain whether these agents will become widely used in Switzerland. The new footwear trend is once again available in the customers' size. They can order it themselves via an email from an AI assistant.

Sina M. has set up various assistants based on the Claude AI model from Anthropic for their daily life. These assistants assist Sina M. in finding the best products, prices, and places for shopping, restaurant reservations, and train tickets. They are not just a fun digital game, as Sina M. also saves a lot of time. Online shopping is convenient because the goods are delivered to the doorstep with a click.

However, it can also consume a lot of time and nerves. The internet offers an endless selection of products, and consumers must navigate between them. AI assistants could increasingly take over this task. In September, Meta Muse and Open AI Dots were launched as AI assistants. The two tech companies made these digital assistants mass market.

Meta Muse saw 2.8 million installations within the first twelve days in the USA, which is more than Chat-GPT recorded in its first days back in 2022. A keychain for Meta Muse is expected to come by the end of December, offering users direct access to their AI assistant. In Switzerland, Meta Muse and Open AI Dots are not yet available, but digital platforms can already create their own AI assistants.

Swiss online retailers are preparing for the possibility of AI assistants becoming widespread here in the future, which could radically change their online business. Consumers would have an easier and more efficient way to find products that match their personal preferences. However, AI assistants need access to shopping portals to perform their tasks.

Currently, they often lack this access. Online retailers must upgrade their software with a Model Context Protocol (MCP) to allow AI assistants to navigate through their various sub-pages and find the right products. Galaxus already installed such a connection for AI assistants, but Brack believes that products purchased directly via AI assistants might not be as efficient as ordering them directly from the shop.

Brack emphasizes that not every idea that garners public attention will eventually prevail. The focus of the company remains on the classic online shop and app. It's clear that setting up interfaces for AI assistants requires technical and financial resources, and Galaxus or Brack have an advantage over smaller vendors in this regard.

In the USA, companies like Walmart, Gap, and Sephora have already signed deals with Meta to let the Muse AI assistant prefer certain products. The gap between large online retailers and smaller vendors could widen further. For online food retailers, the starting point is different. An average food basket consists of 35 to 65 products, and consumers often buy the same things from the same provider.

AI agents could less effectively exploit their strengths of comparing different providers. Migros and Coop stated on request that they would monitor the development towards agent-based shopping but currently have no projects for AI interfaces. Establishing trust with consumers is crucial for AI assistants to become shopping helpers.

It is essential to be transparent about selection criteria and clearly distinguish between paid and neutral recommendations, according to Alexandra Scherrer from Carpathia. The danger is that consumers might receive the best selection of products paid for by advertisers instead of the best overall selection. In Switzerland, the question of AI regulation is also on the table.

The Federal Office of Justice (BJ) is working on a regulation that should be ready by the end of 2026. It remains to be seen how all-knowing AI assistants can be reconciled with data protection and who will be held accountable if the AI agent acts autonomously or gets hacked, revealing passwords and account details. The BJ states that primarily the person or company responsible for the AI agent's activity would be held accountable.

Whether these tech giants are as skillful as they claim remains to be seen. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the AI shopping assistant trend unfolds.