Artificial intelligence is entering the world of e-commerce not as an addition, but as a new intermediary that can completely change the balance of power in trade.
As reported by “Financial Times”, the trade industry is on the verge of changes comparable to the emergence of online stores in the 90s or smartphones a decade later.This concerns so-called “agentic AI”, i.e. autonomous agents based on artificial intelligence, which relieve the consumer of the burden of searching for offers. Instead of typing keywords and clicking through dozens of pages, the customer issues a command in natural language, and the bot takes care of the rest.
Rafał Brzoska, the founder of InPost, referred to the publication of the British daily. The entrepreneur recalled that he predicted this scenario during the ImpactCEE 2025 conference. – Today FT confirms the turnaround: the end of “search & scroll”, i.e. simply shopping with agents – Brzoska wrote on X (formerly twitter). In his opinion, the new shopping interface will not be based on filters, sorting and opening a dozen or so tabs in the browser.
According to “Financial Times”, the traditional e-commerce model, built by billions of dollars of investment, is threatened with decomposition. Instead of painstakingly comparing products,the user will be able to simply write: “Buy me a waterproof jacket for $150 for a trip to Niagara Falls in March”. The AI agent will not only find the product, but will also take into account…
Blocking access for many external shopping bots to its platform. While Amazon is developing its own assistant called Rufus, it is trying to keep customers within its ecosystem. “FT” notes that AmazonS share of redirects from external AI tools has dropped dramatically, although the company still dominates in terms of user engagement directly within its submission.
Threat to the advertising market
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The proliferation of shopping agents raises serious questions about the future of online marketing. The current model is based on so-called “retail media,” i.e., the sale of positioning and advertising in store search results. According to estimates by the WARC research group, cited by the newspaper, this is a market worth nearly $200 billion annually. Though, if bots, not people, do the shopping, the effectiveness of displaying banner ads or sponsored results will come into question.
Rafał Brzoska also touches on this issue. – For years we have been paying for someone to look at the screen and click. But if an agent buys, who exactly is suppose to click on sponsored results? – he asks rhetorically, the founder of InPost. He believes that classic SEO (search engine positioning) and retail media “will get hit hard” when software becomes the store’s user.
E-commerce and Online Payment Security – Current Trends (as of January 29, 2026)
The provided text snippet references a trend in US e-commerce and links to an article about online payment security. Independent verification and a freshness check are required due to the untrusted source.
PHASE 1: ADVERSARIAL RESEARCH & FRESHNESS CHECK
The claim that “only around 1.5% of US e-commerce” represents a specific trend requires verification.As of January 29,2026,data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Digital Commerce 360 indicates that e-commerce sales consistently represent a considerably higher percentage of total retail sales than 1.5%. In Q4 2023, e-commerce accounted for approximately 14.4% of total retail sales. In Q1 2024, this figure was around 14.1%. While growth has slowed from pandemic peaks, it remains substantially above 1.5%. The 1.5% figure is demonstrably inaccurate as of late 2023 and early 2026.
The linked article from money.pl (a polish financial news website) discusses the intersection of technology, security, and convenience in online payments. A search for updated information on this topic reveals ongoing developments in several key areas:
* Biometric Authentication: increased adoption of fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, and voice recognition for payment authorization. Biometric Update provides ongoing coverage of these advancements.
* Tokenization: Continued expansion of tokenization technologies to replace sensitive card data with unique identifiers, reducing the risk of fraud. PaymentsSource is a key resource for this information.
* Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): widespread use of AI/ML algorithms to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions in real-time.The Federal Reserve has published reports on the role of AI in payments.
* Secure Customer Authentication (SCA): Implementation of Strong Customer Authentication protocols, particularly in Europe (PSD2) and increasingly globally, to enhance security. European Medicines Agency provides information on SCA.
* Quantum-Resistant Cryptography: Research and advancement into cryptographic methods that are resistant to attacks from future quantum computers. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is leading efforts in this area.
Breaking News check (January 29, 2026): No major breaking news events related to a sudden shift in e-commerce percentages or a significant security breach impacting online payments have been reported as of this date. Ongoing regulatory scrutiny of Big Tech payment systems continues, but no immediate crises exist.
United States E-commerce Market Overview
The US remains one of the largest and most dynamic e-commerce markets globally.US Census Bureau Retail Sales Data provides detailed statistics.
Key Players in the US E-commerce Landscape
* Amazon: Continues to dominate the market,but faces increasing competition.
* Walmart: Expanding its online presence and offering omnichannel shopping experiences.
* Shopify: A leading e-commerce platform empowering businesses of all sizes.
* PayPal: A major player in online payment processing.
* Apple Pay & Google Pay: Growing in popularity as mobile payment options.
Online Payment Security Regulations & Standards
Several regulations and standards govern online payment security in the United States:
