Harvard Business Review LogoAugust 7, 2026Illustration by Kati NärhiExecutives have spent years preparing their organizations to use AI internally. The next challenge is preparing for AI as the customer. As intelligent shopping agents increasingly evaluate,In April 2025, Amazon launched “Buy for Me,” which lets its AI agent visit brand websites, select products, enter payment details, and complete purchases without the customer ever leaving the Amazon app. By September, OpenAI had introduced “Instant Checkout” with the open-source Agentic Commerce Protocol, enabling purchases directly inside ChatGPT. In January 2026, Google unveiled the Universal Commerce Protocol at the National Retail Federation conference: an open standard, built with Shopify, Target, Walmart, and more than 20 other partners, covering the shopping process from discovery to post-purchase support. Microsoft launched Copilot Checkout at the same conference, and Shopify has since switched on agent-readable storefronts by default across millions of merchants. Gartner now projects that by 2028, 90% of B2B purchases, more than $15 trillion, will flow through AI agent exchanges.
Algorithmic Shopping Is Here. Is Your Company Ready?
Executives have spent years preparing their organizations to use AI internally. The next challenge is preparing for AI as the customer. As intelligent shopping agents increasingly evaluate, compare, and purchase products on behalf of consumers, companies must rethink how they compete. Success will depend less on persuasive marketing and more on structured data, technical infrastructure, organizational capabilities, and executive alignment. Leaders should assess whether their organizations are equipped across five critical areas: strategy, data readiness, commercial capabilities, talent, and governance. Regular audits can expose hidden weaknesses, prioritize investment, and help organizations adapt before algorithmic commerce becomes mainstream. Companies that act early will be better positioned to shape emerging standards, strengthen competitive advantage, and remain visible in a marketplace where machines increasingly influence buying decisions.
Amazon, OpenAI, Google launched autonomous shopping agents (2025); Gartner: 90% of $15T B2B purchases via AI agents by 2028. Adopting open commerce protocols is critical—AI now controls customer discovery and enterprise GTM, reshaping vendor relationships.
