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Worth notingMarket eventWed, Oct 211 min read
AI assistants could become a new source of retail orders, with sales gains depending on customer adoption and reliable purchases.
Walmart unveiled two tools on October 21 that let third-party AI agents—software assistants that carry out tasks for users—shop on customers' behalf. Walmart says the tools give users more control over their agents and help the agents work more accurately.[1][2]
The coverage names Meta's Muse as one example of these agents. Walmart's approach differs from Amazon's: Amazon reportedly bars outside AI agents from its platform.[2]
Opening access gives outside AI assistants a way to turn users' shopping requests into Walmart orders. If the tools improve accuracy and user control as Walmart claims, they could reduce shopping errors or abandoned purchases and help Walmart capture more orders; the sales benefit still depends on customers using the agents and the agents completing purchases reliably.[1][2]
Amazon's restrictions mean developers' ability to shop for users depends on each retailer's access rules. Walmart offers developers an accessible shopping destination, extending retail competition to which stores can most easily serve demand arriving through AI assistants.[2]
Walmart gains a new route to compete for orders through outside AI assistants. For rivals, opening access could attract agent-directed demand, while restricting access preserves control over the shopping experience; customer adoption will help determine which approach works better commercially.[2]
Third-party agent developers can use Walmart's tools to offer shopping on users' behalf. Access to a major retailer broadens these assistants' practical uses, although accuracy and user control still need to hold up in actual use.[1][2]