{
  "id": 7505822,
  "title": "AI Makes the Holiday Shopping List but Who Gets the Sale?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/ai-makes-the-holiday-shopping-list-but-who-gets-the-sale",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-15T08:01:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PYMNTS",
    "slug": "pymnts",
    "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/ai-makes-the-holiday-shopping-list-but-who-gets-the-sale/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the upcoming holiday shopping season, artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionize the way consumers find products and make purchases online. A new PYMNTS Intelligence report, titled \"Will the 2026 Shopping Season Go Agentic?\" explores the potential impact of agentic commerce and the challenges that lie ahead.\n\nAccording to the report, a significant portion of AI-assisted shoppers (46%) are using technology to locate the best prices or deals, while 53% believe that lower prices could entice them to switch from large marketplaces to brand websites. This suggests that merchants should be prepared to offer AI agents a tailored shopping experience, albeit with some limitations.\n\nOnly 28% of merchants plan to provide AI agents with their entire product range, while another 28% would restrict agents to selected products. Merchants are concerned about offering a full range of products at the same terms available through other channels, as it may dilute their competitive advantage.\n\nThe issue of responsibility at the point of checkout is another area of contention. Ninety-three percent of merchants believe that either the AI or agent provider should cover the loss when an agent makes an incorrect purchase decision. Additionally, 80% of merchants expect that provider to verify the agent's authority before any action is taken.\n\nDespite these challenges, consumers have largely embraced AI assistance while maintaining control over their finances. They seek tools that save time, protect their choices, and pause before making significant decisions. This presents an opportunity for merchants, wallets, banks, and card networks that already have consumer trust.\n\nThe report also highlights emerging systems from industry leaders such as Mastercard, Visa, Google, OpenAI, and Stripe. These initiatives aim to help merchants identify approved agents, confirm consumer permissions, and safeguard reusable card details. By addressing these concerns, merchants, payment providers, and AI companies can position themselves to benefit greatly from agentic commerce during the upcoming holiday season.\n\nThe complete report, \"Will the 2026 Shopping Season Go Agentic?\" is available for download and provides a comprehensive analysis of consumer readiness to delegate tasks to AI agents, the limits they set, and the companies that could gain the strongest position during this pivotal period in digital shopping.",
  "summary": "AI can find the sweater, compare prices and read hundreds of reviews before a shopper finishes a cup of coffee. Getting that sweater through checkout is where the trip gets complicated. “Will the 2026 Shopping Season Go Agentic?,” a PYMNTS Intelligence report, examines who could control the next stage of digital shopping. It draws on […] The post AI Makes the Holiday Shopping List but Who Gets…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}