Consumers warm up to agentic AI purchases

AI is moving from a search tool to a shopping tool, and your customers are starting to trust it with their wallets. New data shows a growing comfort with 'agentic AI'—autonomous bots that can research, select, and even purchase products on behalf of consumers. For retailers, this shift changes how you offer financing. If a bot is making the purchase decision, the financing offer needs to be integrated directly into that digital journey. Customers still want a 'human in the loop' for final approval, but they are increasingly looking for efficiency in the middle steps. This trend means your financing platform should be ready to talk to these AI agents. If your credit application process is too manual or requires heavy human intervention, you might lose the sale before the customer even sees the product. Retailers who succeed will be those whose Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) or monthly payment options are easily readable and selectable by AI assistants. The goal is to ensure your flexible payment terms are the 'default' choice when an AI bot presents a recommendation to its human user. Speed and integration will be the primary competitive advantages as this technology matures over the next year.

Source: Retail Dive

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