The agentic commerce story moved into new territory today. We’re seeing three parallel shifts. First, the operational consequences are landing. Finextra and TechRound both flagged the dispute problem: AI agents are making purchases consumers didn’t explicitly authorize, and the payment networks are scrambling to figure out liability. Mastercard is testing agentic commerce infrastructure in India. Second, the in-store AI push is accelerating. SoundHound launched Sales Assist at MWC, bringing real-time voice AI to retail sales floors. Coty opened an AI-driven fragrance concept store in Hong Kong. Third, the platform layer is hardening. Walmart’s AI chief explained the key difference between its Google Gemini and ChatGPT deals (one is transactional, one is informational). OpenAI is tapping retail giants for its first wave of ChatGPT ad testing. Fresha reported that 1 in 4 bookings now come from Google Gemini and AI agents, with 9x marketplace ROI. The infrastructure is being built in real time. The question is no longer whether AI will change shopping. It’s who controls the layer between the consumer and the transaction.
Top 3 Stories We’re Tracking
”I didn’t buy that, my AI did”: Agentic commerce drives new wave of disputes
Financial services are facing a new dispute category: purchases made by AI agents without explicit user authorization. Finextra highlights the liability question. Who’s responsible when a consumer claims their AI made an unwanted purchase? The infrastructure for agentic commerce is moving faster than the fraud and dispute frameworks.
Mastercard advances agentic AI commerce in India
Mastercard is building payment infrastructure specifically for agentic commerce in India. This signals that the payment networks see AI-driven transactions as a distinct category requiring new rails. India is becoming a testbed for agentic commerce at scale.
Fresha: 1 in 4 bookings driven by Google Gemini and AI agents, 9x marketplace ROI
Fresha, a self-care booking marketplace, reported that 25% of its bookings now come from Google Gemini and AI agents. The marketplace is seeing 9x ROI from AI-driven traffic. This is the first concrete data point showing AI agents are driving measurable transaction volume at scale.
Trends to Watch
- Dispute and liability frameworks are lagging behind agentic commerce adoption. Financial institutions are scrambling to define who’s responsible when AI agents make purchases.
- Payment networks are building dedicated infrastructure for agentic commerce. Mastercard’s India pilot signals that AI-driven transactions are being treated as a distinct category.
- AI agent traffic is converting at scale. Fresha’s 25% booking rate from AI agents and 9x ROI proves this is no longer theoretical.
- Retailers are moving AI from online to physical stores. SoundHound’s sales floor AI and Coty’s AI-driven concept store show the in-store push is accelerating.
- The platform layer is hardening. Walmart is distinguishing between transactional AI integrations (Gemini) and informational ones (ChatGPT). OpenAI is testing ads with retail giants.