Retail Shops Dedicated Solely for Artificial Intelligence Entities on Horizon
AI-Only Shopping Platforms: The Future of E-Commerce
In a groundbreaking development, AI-only shopping platforms are set to revolutionize the e-commerce landscape. These platforms, such as the one developed by New Gen in collaboration with Visa, are designed specifically for AI agents to browse, shop, and complete transactions without human intervention (source: [1]).
The new AI-native storefronts, stripped of traditional human-facing design elements, are minimal and machine-readable. This streamlined approach allows AI agents to navigate and interact with the platforms efficiently. By eliminating the need for traditional website design and user experience components, these platforms could potentially lower costs for merchants, leading to a new generation of e-commerce sites accessible only to AI agents (source: [1]).
Large retailers like Target and Walmart could potentially benefit from these AI-only storefronts. According to Don Apgar, Director of Merchant Services at Javelin Strategy & Research, these tools could be highly attractive to retailers (source: [1]). The platforms enable agentic commerce through AI-initiated transactions, effectively automating the entire shopping process for consumers via AI digital assistants.
For instance, retailers could launch separate AI-only storefront URLs (e.g., ai.Target.com) that only AI agents can navigate. This shift from AI assisting humans on conventional platforms to AI independently acting on behalf of users in commerce could potentially revolutionize e-commerce infrastructure.
However, there are concerns about the level of trust consumers will have in AI agents handling their payment data. AI agents may require a deeper understanding of AI for consumers to entrust their sensitive information to them.
The latest data shows a significant increase in traffic to U.S. retail websites from generative AI sources. Between July 2024 and February 2025, traffic increased by more than 1,200%. This growth underscores the potential of AI-only shopping platforms and the emergence of agentic commerce (source: [1]).
Mastercard's Agent Pay and Visa's Intelligent Commerce platforms are already enabling AI agents to act as personal shoppers. With the introduction of AI-native storefronts, we are one step closer to a future where AI agents shop and complete checkouts on behalf of users, potentially changing the way we interact with e-commerce sites forever.
References: [1] New Gen's AI-Native Storefront Platform Enables Agentic Commerce. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.paymentsjournal.com/new-gens-ai-native-storefront-platform-enables-agentic-commerce/
- The introduction of AI-native storefronts, such as the one developed by New Gen in collaboration with Visa, could potentially lower costs for businesses by eliminating the need for traditional website design and user experience components, making these platforms more appealing to large retailers like Target and Walmart.
- As AI agents require a deeper understanding of AI for consumers to entrust their sensitive information to them, concerns about the level of trust consumers will have in AI agents handling their payment data could become a significant challenge in the development and implementation of AI-only shopping platforms.
