Visa Says Small Merchants Could Move Faster on AI Shopping

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are currently lagging behind large retailers in preparing for the 'AI-driven' shopping era. New data from Visa and PYMNTS Intelligence shows that only 11% of SMBs are 'agent-ready,' meaning their digital infrastructure is prepared for AI assistants that shop on behalf of consumers. For your business, this shift matters because AI agents don't just search; they evaluate value, check inventory, and initiate transactions. If your store isn't optimized for these tools, you risk being invisible to the next generation of shoppers. Technological readiness is no longer just about having a website. It involves structured data that AI tools can read easily to compare prices and financing options. Larger merchants are moving faster to integrate these systems, giving them a head start in capturing automated traffic. SMBs that fail to modernize their tech stacks may find themselves excluded from the 'consideration set' before a human customer even sees their brand. The report emphasizes that closing this gap is essential for maintaining a level playing field in a market where AI handles more of the heavy lifting for the consumer.

Source: PYMNTS

← Return to the library· Submit a correction