Worldpay Says Americans Most Likely to Adopt Agentic Commerce for Smaller Purchases

Worldpay has found that agentic commerce is likely to gain its foothold in smaller, everyday purchases.

In a survey of American consumers, the payments technology and solutions company found that they are most comfortable using artificial intelligence (AI) for everyday purchases under $50, including cinema tickets, meal delivery or pickup, health and beauty products, meal vouchers and gift cards, and subscriptions and memberships, according to a Wednesday (Nov. 5) press release emailed to PYMNTS.

For personal items or big-ticket items, consumers prefer to browse, Worldpay found. The categories for which consumers are less likely to use agentic commerce include travel, concert tickets, clothing and home decor, per the release.

Overall, 44% of all Americans, and 59% of those between the ages of 18 and 34, said they would let an AI assistant browse for them, according to the release. The top reasons consumers are interested in using agentic AI include finding the lowest prices and choosing top-rated brands.

However, only 6% would delegate complete control to AI and let it buy automatically. Forty-four percent want to review every purchase before it goes through, per the release.

“Agentic commerce is a huge chance for retailers to grow — but it won’t happen on its own,” Worldpay Chief Product Officer Cindy Turner said in the release. “To really take advantage, businesses need smart tech that integrates easily with what they already use and keeps up with the rapid pace of change.”

“And with AI assistants now helping shoppers make decisions, retailers have to rethink how they build loyalty and stay connected,” Turner said. “If they don’t move now, they risk missing out on a market that’s growing by the day.”

Turner told PYMNTS in an interview posted in August that merchants must balance fraud control with revenue growth amid the coming wave of agentic AI.

Worldpay said Wednesday that it now supports OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which is an open standard for agentic commerce that allows AI agents, people and businesses to work together on purchases.

With ACP, U.S. users of OpenAI’s ChatGPT will be able to shop directly from participating Worldpay merchants using Instant Checkout.