e-commerce
Agentic commerce users to surge to 1.3 billion by 2031, study predicts
Juniper Research says AI trust, retailer adoption to drive nearly 350 per cent growth.
MUMBAI: Shopping carts may soon come with copilots, as artificial intelligence prepares to do more than recommend products, it could complete the purchase too. Agentic commerce is poised for rapid global adoption, with the number of users expected to jump from fewer than 300 million in 2026 to 1.3 billion by 2031, according to a new study by Juniper Research. The projected rise of nearly 350 per cent signals growing confidence in AI-powered shopping as retailers expand support and payment infrastructure matures.
The research attributes the surge to three key factors: increasing adoption of agentic capabilities by major retailers, rising consumer familiarity with AI systems and the wider availability of payment infrastructure designed specifically for autonomous AI transactions.
While consumer trust in agentic commerce remains limited today, Juniper Research believes that will change quickly as artificial intelligence becomes more deeply embedded in everyday life. As retailers continue integrating AI shopping assistants into their platforms, the technology is expected to move from early experimentation to mainstream commerce.
The study also found that card payments currently dominate agentic commerce, with major card networks leading early pilots through tokenisation frameworks. However, it cautioned that relying too heavily on cards could restrict long-term growth.
According to the report, consumers increasingly expect to pay using their preferred methods, making support for local payment options including digital wallets and account-to-account payments critical to wider adoption.
Juniper Research, vice president of research Nick Maynard said payment flexibility would be essential for the sector’s long-term success. He noted that while cards currently support AI-driven transactions, limiting payment choices could slow the expansion of agentic commerce by failing to meet local consumer preferences.
The findings are part of Juniper Research’s Agentic Commerce Market 2026–2031 study, which analyses the sector through more than 38,000 market datapoints over a five-year period, alongside competitor rankings and assessments of emerging opportunities across AI developers and payment infrastructure providers.
