Recent media reports have highlightedAmazon’sdecision toblockMeta’sMuse AI agent from making purchases on its marketplace. Muse has quickly gained attention for its ability to research products, complete tasks, and shop on behalf of consumers, while Amazon appearsfocused onmaintainingdirect control of the customer relationship and checkout experience.
The situation is interesting, but retailers should resist the temptation to view it as a definitive signal about the future of commerce.
At the moment, we see this as two technology giants competingin a quickly evolving commerce landscape. Meta wants Muse to become a gateway to digital experiences, including shopping. Metahas tried many times to be a destination for commerce (e.g.,Facebook stores, Instagram shopping). Amazon wants to remain the starting point for product discovery and purchase – and ithas billions of dollars in e–commerce, marketplace dollars,and ad revenue at stake.
It’sworth remembering that relationships among major technology firms are rarely static. Google pays Apple for valuable real estate on iPhone screens, and – who knows? – it would not be surprising toperhapssee Amazon and Meta eventually strike some form of commercial arrangement if agentic shopping gains meaningful traction.
For now, digital leaders should bear in mindthat:
- It’s still unclear whether a critical mass ofconsumers actually want autonomous purchasing.Agentic commerce generates excitement, but shopper behavior suggests a more measured future. Even relatively lightweight automation such as subscription replenishment programs has seen limited adoption.
- Specialized use cases might be where we see meaningful adoption.Agentic shopping may prove valuable during high-intent events like Prime Day orduringholiday promotions. Consumers might embrace automation to grab a limited edition item just as it drops, to secure concert tickets inthe best section when they go on sale, or to pursue a refund on an item they didn’t receive. That doesn’t mean thatmost consumerswillgive AI broad authority to spend money without clear guardrails, approval flows, and transparency.Today, most adoption will be among early adopters and those who aren’t concerned with permissions and access issueswith AI agents.
- Many processesare best handled within merchants’ systems.For example,the post-transaction shipment and returns flowincludes logic and communications that the merchant needs to control.NeitherMetanor any other third partycan execute on the entire process, though an AI agent might be handy to initiate a return on behalf of a customer.
- Thescarystories about these agents might delay adoption.Tech news is bursting with stories about adverse outcomes for users, froman AI agent bookinga hotel and joining its rewardsprogramon behalf of a userwithout permission, oran AI agentselling an item on FacebookMarketplace for well below the asking price and then arranginga pickup meeting without informing the seller. Some early adopters may simply back away from their use,while otherswilldelayadoptionentirelyuntil the agents are more stable.
In the near term, the strongest use case may be research rather than purchasing. This use case is somethingthatwe– includingmy colleagues Emily Pfeiffer,Chuck Gahun,and I–have beenadvisingrepeatedly, and asEmily andChuckdid in this Forrester webinar.AI agents can help consumers discover products, compare options, and narrow choices. Converting recommendations into transactions isstilla much bigger leapfor most consumers.
If you’re a Forrester client and would like to discuss these questions further, please book a Guidance Session with us.
