The facts and statistics are in, and companies are quickly adopting next-generation technology. For many, that transformation begins with agentic commerce. What began as experimentation with agentic commerce is rapidly evolving into something far more powerful: autonomous agents that can research, compare, make decisions, and take action across the entire buying journey, often with minimal human intervention.
Agentic commerce was a defining theme throughout 2025, as brands and platforms raced to prove what was possible. But 2026 is shaping up to be the year it moves from “interesting pilots” to real operational and revenue impact. As AI agents become more capable, the rules of discovery, conversion, and loyalty are shifting.
Below, we break down the key trends and statistics to be aware of in 2026. We compiled the numbers, signals, and market shifts that demonstrate how quickly agentic commerce is reshaping all players in the industry.
Market projection
- Generative AI traffic has grown substantially in recent months, rising 4,700% YoY in July 2025 (Adobe).
- Agentic commerce could generate up to $1 trillion in US B2C retail revenue by 2030, with global projections reaching $3 trillion to $5 trillion (McKinsey).
- With the U.S. e-commerce market projected to hit $2.9 trillion by 2030 (GPR 2025), that translates to more than $261 billion in AI-driven spending (Worldpay).
Trend: AI is becoming a major traffic and revenue engine for commerce, not just a productivity tool.
Consumer behavior
- 23% of Americans made purchases using AI in the past month (Morgan Stanley).
- In 2025, 1 in 6 Black Friday purchases were AI-assisted, and during Cyber Week 2025, one in five Cyber Week orders involved an agent. That's approximately $70 billion in GMV (Salesforce).
- Nearly half of American consumers (44%) are comfortable with a smartbot browsing and shopping on their behalf. That figure rises to 59% among shoppers aged 18-34 (Worldpay).
Trend: AI-assisted buying is becoming a mainstream consumer behavior, and delegation is becoming the norm.
Infrastructure gaps
- Research shows businesses lose an average of $15 million annually due to poor data quality (Mirakl).
- Only 21% of leaders reported having complete visibility across agent behaviors, permissions, tool usage, and data access (Digital Commerce 360).
- 65% of the leader respondents view real-time enforcement, such as action-level guardrails, as critical (Mirakl).
Trend: Data is a gap in agentic commerce infrastructure, but it doesn't have to be.
So what's next for 2026?
As AI agents become the “new storefront,” the winners in 2026 will be the brands, retailers, and payments providers that treat agentic commerce as more than just another channel. BCG warns that without intervention, retailers risk being reduced to background utilities in agent-controlled marketplaces, making visibility, trust, and integration the defining themes of the year ahead. Where does that start? Infrastructure.
Without foundational infrastructure that provides security around sensitive data, merchants can get left behind. VGS is fixing that problem.
VGS is closing the data gap between consumers, agents, merchants, and PSPs, enabling seamless agentic commerce transactions for all. VGS's trusted infrastructure enables seamless buying experiences while remaining third-party agnostic, giving you full control over your data. Whether you're an agent or a merchant, you can stay compliant while sharing sensitive data credentials.
