An example shared by Microsoft shows someone using Copilot to search for a small lamp for their bedside table. The chatbot responds with a recommendation, along with a "Details" button for more information and a "Buy" option. Hitting the "Buy" button pulls up a checkout screen where you can enter shipping and payment information and confirm your purchase without visiting the retailer's website.
Four months ago, industry veterans were debating whether AI shopping agents could disrupt Amazon and Walmart's dominance. Today, those same retailers are racing to build the infrastructure that makes those agents possible. That's how quickly this is moving. For the past 25 years, the retail website has been sacred territory. Brands controlled the narrative, captured data, and converted browsers into buyers. AI shopping agents are about to do to websites what e-commerce did to storefronts: not eliminate them, but fundamentally transform their purpose.