Amazon's experimental AI programs 'Shop Direct' and 'Buy for Me' scrape competitor websites without permission to list products, prompting backlash from over 180 retailers who report receiving unwanted orders for items they don't sell or that are out of stock.
OpenAI launches grocery shopping directly within ChatGPT through Instacart partnership, allowing users to brainstorm meals, create lists, and purchase items without leaving the chat interface while generating new revenue streams for the AI company.
ChatGPT drives 28% more Black Friday shopping referrals as AI traffic to retail sites explodes 805%, with Amazon dominating at 54% of referrals while Walmart surges from 2.7% to 14.9% share, and AI-driven shoppers show 38% higher purchase rates than traditional visitors.
Autonomous AI agents are poised to control 55% of consumer spending by 2030, worth over $690 billion in the UK alone, forcing businesses to abandon human-centered design for machine-readable systems that prioritize logic and efficiency over emotional engagement.
Perplexity launches a free AI shopping tool for U.S. users next week, enabling direct purchases from search results through partnerships with over 5,000 merchants and PayPal payment processing, directly challenging OpenAI's similar feature in the race to dominate AI-powered e-commerce during the crucial holiday shopping season.
Meta revolutionizes Facebook Marketplace by introducing AI-powered shopping assistance, collaborative buying features that let friends join seller chats together, and social elements like reactions and comments on listings while integrating inventory from eBay and Poshmark.
Google launches revolutionary AI shopping assistant that calls stores to check inventory, automatically purchases items when prices drop to target levels, and offers conversational search across 50 billion product listings with seamless checkout through Google Pay.
Amazon launches Bazaar, a new standalone app targeting price-conscious shoppers with products under $10 across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, directly challenging Chinese competitors Temu and Shein with social features and extended delivery times.
Pinterest stock crashes 21% as CEO warns Trump tariffs will damage Q4 revenue despite launching AI-powered shopping assistant and achieving major cost savings through open source AI models.
Amazon demands Perplexity remove its Comet AI shopping bot from the platform, sparking a legal battle that could determine whether AI agents must identify themselves when browsing e-commerce sites and how companies control automated access to protect their advertising revenue.