A retailer’s next artificial intelligence investment could depend on what happens after a shopper arrives.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “The Agent Advantage: How Merchants Plan to Win AI Shopping” found in October that among surveyed merchants selling through their own site or app, 37% knew a visit came from an AI platform but lost the trail before purchase. Connecting the referral to a completed order could help merchants determine which efforts generate business and deserve additional spending.
The opportunity extends across product discovery, marketing and checkout. A merchant might improve product information for AI assistants, work with an eCommerce provider or participate in an agent platform. Following the resulting purchases would give each investment a measurable commercial outcome.
The report drew on a survey of 60 senior eCommerce decision-makers at established, digitally active merchants in the United States with annual revenue between $50 million and $1 billion. Its findings described businesses preparing for agentic commerce while still developing the ability to measure AI’s contribution.
Following the Purchase Path
No surveyed merchant selling through its own site or app can fully and consistently connect AI-driven visits to completed purchases. The report revealed that 51% identified some AI-originated visits but reported inconsistent attribution. Another 12% could not distinguish agentic traffic from human traffic.
Better measurement could support more specific spending decisions. Retailers could compare whether changes to product listings bring visitors who purchase, whether particular referral sources deliver completed orders and where shoppers leave before checkout.
Each outcome points toward a different response. Visits that end on a product page might warrant examining the information presented there. Shoppers who reach checkout but leave could prompt a review of the purchase experience. Orders traced to a particular source would give merchants a basis for comparing its contribution with other channels.
Giving Visibility a Sales Measure
Merchants already place emphasis on being found through AI. The report showed that 80% called AI visibility a high or critical priority, compared with 62% who said the same about identifying AI-driven visits and purchases.
Most have begun working on discovery. The report found that 87% of merchants have taken at least one step to improve how their products appear inside AI platforms.
Connecting discovery efforts to sales could make that work more useful for budget planning. A retailer could assess successive changes against completed purchases, directing resources toward approaches that produce stronger results.
Attribution would still require care. A shopper may consult an assistant, visit several merchants and return directly to buy. Establishing that AI influenced a purchase also wouldn’t, by itself, prove the sale was additional business. Retailers would need to distinguish a channel’s participation in the shopping journey from its contribution to growth.
Measurement also has implications for partnerships. Nearly all surveyed merchants expected to pay to participate in the agentic ecosystem through commissions, subscriptions or other fees.
Connecting referrals to orders could help retailers evaluate these costs against the business received. Comparing order value, fees and returns would provide a fuller commercial assessment than counting visits alone.
Merchants have reason to pursue that assessment. Overall, 82% said AI-driven product discovery has helped their businesses. More consistent sales attribution could turn those reported benefits into evidence for choosing partners, setting budgets and expanding the AI investments that perform.
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