The way people shop online could change significantly by 2030, with more than 1 in 10 online shoppers expected to routinely use AI agents to purchase products on their behalf. A new Mastercard report suggests AI could move from helping consumers make shopping choices to completing purchases for them.
The report, A Short History of the Future of Shopping and Payments, is based on Mastercard research and predictions from 4 futurists from the US, Europe and Asia. It expects groceries, medicines and subscriptions to be among the first purchases consumers delegate to AI agents.
These AI systems could recommend products, compare choices, negotiate prices and complete transactions based on rules set by consumers. Retailers may also have to treat AI agents as a new type of customer alongside human shoppers.
A Mastercard survey of 26,000 parents and teenagers aged 13-18 across 13 countries found that teenagers are already more likely than their parents to use AI for shopping decisions.
About 27% of teenagers said they would likely use a fully AI-run shopping assistant that could recommend products, compare options and complete purchases based on their rules. Among parents, the figure stood at 16%.
Teenagers were also nearly twice as likely to use AI every week to find the best price or discount, at 18% compared with 10% of parents.
Trust in AI recommendations is also growing among younger consumers. About 31% of teenagers said they would trust an AI product recommendation over a friend’s, while 23% would trust AI over their parents’ advice.
The survey found that 67% of parents expect AI-powered shopping to define their children’s generation, while only 5% believe it will define their own.
Retailers face AI-driven shopping changes
Retailers may need to make product information, claims and policies available in machine-readable formats. AI agents could process product details, verify claims, compare reviews and assess policies before making purchases. Sustainability claims, for example, may need certificates that AI systems can find, read and verify.
Loyalty programmes, customer relationships and digital shopping experiences could also need to adapt to AI-led interactions.
Trust and authorisation gain importance
As AI agents begin making transactions, identity, consent, authorisation and liability will become more important. The report expects at least 3 G20 regulators to issue formal guidance on registering and monitoring AI agents by 2030.
Mastercard also expects payment intent to become more important as systems verify whether consumers have authorised transactions. The company said agentic commerce is already emerging, citing an end-to-end agentic payment transaction completed in Europe earlier this year with its partners.
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