Walmart Exec Reveals How ’Agentic Commerce’ AI Will Revolutionize Shopping in 2026

Forget browsing—your AI is about to buy for you. Welcome to the era of Agentic Commerce, where artificial intelligence doesn't just recommend products; it autonomously purchases them on your behalf. A top Walmart executive just pulled back the curtain on how this tech will gut traditional shopping habits within the year.

Your New Personal Shopper Runs on Code

The model is simple: grant an AI agent permission, and it scans inventories, compares prices, and executes purchases against your predefined criteria—no human intervention required. It bypasses decision fatigue, cuts through marketing noise, and operates 24/7. Think of it as a high-frequency trading algorithm for your pantry.

The Retail Giants Are All-In

Major players like Walmart aren't just experimenting; they're building the infrastructure to let AI agents transact directly. The goal? Lock in customer loyalty by becoming the default platform where autonomous agents shop. It's a land grab for the new front-end: the AI itself.

What Gets Cut Out of the Loop

Impulse buys? History. Brand loyalty based on ads? Tough sell. The AI buys what meets its objective parameters—price, specs, reviews—turning commerce into a cold, optimized utility. It's the ultimate efficiency play, and it makes the traditional sales funnel look quaint.

The Ironic Twist for Finance

Here's the cynical kicker for the finance crowd: while Wall Street spends billions trying to predict consumer behavior, the real money will be made by the firms that own the agents controlling it. The future of spending isn't demographic analysis—it's owning the butler who holds the wallet. The biggest trade of 2026 won't be a stock or a crypto token; it'll be a commission fee from a machine that bought your toilet paper.

Key Takeaways

• Retailers are sorting through a sea of AI tools and possible uses for technology that consumers will want to use, said Daniel Danker, executive vice president of AI acceleration, project and design at Walmart.
• He said a few uses seem particularly promising, such as having apparel displayed on images of the shopper, rather than models.

Some AI tools beg the question: who asked for this?

In the rush to capitalize on artificial intelligence, companies have released a myriad of "agentic commerce" tools that aim to revolutionize shopping. (Agentic commerce refers to AI agents performing tasks, such as comparing prices or making purchases, on behalf of consumers.) More than a few lack consumer appeal, according to Daniel Danker, Walmart’s (WMT) executive vice president of AI acceleration, project and design. 

“We've all been playing with the technology to understand it better,” Danker said at a conference earlier this week, according to a transcript made available by AlphaSense. “A lot of things have been built that won't necessarily work. A lot of things have been built that don't necessarily reflect exactly what the customer wants.”

Why This News Matters

Tech companies want to find ways to capitalize on the billions they've invested in AI. Some consumers are willing to pay for chatbots, but tech companies may have better luck licensing their technology to other businesses.

Still, AI is playing a growing role in e-commerce, which according to the U.S. government accounted for about 16% of total retail spending last quarter. Roughly one-third of shoppers said they used AI assistants, according to surveys Adobe conducted in November. Shoppers who access merchants’ websites using AI are more likely to buy and tend to spend more, Adobe says.

Retailers don’t want to miss out on big spenders—or be left behind if, as some experts expect, AI use explodes. Merchants are working to understand how AI can enhance the typical shopping experience, Danker said.

Related Education

Here's how he thinks the technology may catch on:

Rather than seeing clothing on professional models, items may be displayed on an image of the person browsing, Danker said.

AI may remember consumers' typical orders and anticipate the items they're looking for, Danker said.

He used grocery shopping as an example: "By the time you've added the tomato paste and the ground beef and the mozzarella, we're pretty sure you're making lasagna," he said. "We don't need you to search eight times and scroll through many, many pages just to add the basil and the tomato sauce and the ricotta."

People may ask the technology what type of electronics are compatible with the devices they already own, Danker said. (The technology may also be used to find furniture that fits with the layout and aesthetic of customers' homes, experts have suggested.)

Walmart's AI agent, Sparky, may remind customers of everything they need to do at Walmart, so they can avoid making separate trips to pick up groceries, prescriptions and get their car serviced, Danker said.