E-Commerce & AI Commerce News Digest (February 26, 2026)

Top Stories

Stripe's Annual Letter Reveals the State of Agentic Commerce -- "Steady Progress, But Still Early Days"

Stripe's slower view of agentic commerce

The processing giant, like some other digital commerce specialists, sees agent-enabled shopping evolving at a measured pace.

Stripe has published its 2026 annual letter, providing a detailed analysis of agentic commerce progress. Co-founder Patrick Collison predicts a "torrent" of AI agent-driven commerce will arrive during 2026.

According to the letter, bot-driven payment traffic on the Stripe platform is growing steadily, but still accounts for less than 1% of total volume. This stands out as a realistic, transaction-data-based assessment rather than mere hype surrounding agentic commerce.

Simultaneously, Stripe is advancing support for new payment flows where AI agents enter card information and complete checkout, accelerating the development of agent-specific APIs and security features. The fact that a major payments infrastructure company is making significant investments on the "foundation layer" of agentic commerce is an important signal for future market development.

Full article: Stripe's Annual Letter Reveals the State of Agentic Commerce

Perplexity Launches In-Chat Shopping with PayPal -- From AI Search to One-Stop Purchasing

Perplexity in-chat shopping with PayPal: Is it the future of e-commerce?

WebFX reports Perplexity AI's in-chat shopping with PayPal allows seamless transactions from discovery to payment in one thread, redefining e-commerce.

AI search engine Perplexity has rolled out in-chat shopping functionality through its PayPal integration. Users can discover products within Perplexity's conversational interface and complete payment via PayPal without leaving the chat.

Traditional e-commerce purchase flows required multiple steps -- search, compare, visit site, add to cart, checkout -- but Perplexity's approach compresses this entire journey into a conversation. The AI aggregates and compares product information while answering user questions, seamlessly guiding them through to purchase.

As a concrete consumer experience of agentic commerce, the formation of direct purchase pathways from search engines to e-commerce platforms demands that e-commerce brands consider new channel strategies.

Full article: Perplexity Launches In-Chat Shopping with PayPal

Agentic Commerce

Deloitte Research: B2B Suppliers Lag on Agentic AI as ERP Upgrades Create Bottleneck

Deloitte Digital: B2B suppliers lag on agentic AI as ERP upgrades slow adoption

B2B suppliers' agentic AI adoption is slower than many executives assume, according to research from Deloitte Digital.

According to Deloitte Digital's latest research, agentic AI adoption among B2B suppliers is significantly behind what many executives assume. The primary cause identified is the lack of progress in modernizing legacy ERP systems.

While B2C has seen adoption of AI chatbots and recommendation engines, B2B faces unique hurdles including complex pricing, custom quoting, and approval workflows that make AI agent implementation challenging. Deloitte's analysis suggests that companies with insufficient ERP and commerce platform integration will see limited returns from agentic AI adoption.

For B2B e-commerce businesses, this research underscores that core system modernization is a critical prerequisite for agentic AI implementation.

Full article: Deloitte Research: B2B Suppliers Lag on Agentic AI Adoption

Circle Pushes Stablecoin-Agentic Commerce Convergence

How Circle Is Marrying Stablecoins With Agentic Commerce

USDC issuer Circle has outlined its strategy to position stablecoins as the payment foundation for agentic commerce. The vision involves AI agents using stablecoins as payment rails for autonomous transactions, rather than relying on traditional credit card networks.

Circle argues that stablecoins' programmable nature makes them better suited than traditional payment methods for AI agents executing conditional payments and automated settlements. Their strength also lies in facilitating inter-agent micropayments and instant settlement.

This move represents the crypto industry's entry into agentic commerce payment infrastructure, carrying implications as a challenge to existing card networks.

Full article: Circle Positions Stablecoins as Agentic Commerce Payment Foundation

Trust Frameworks for Agentic AI Accelerate as Security and Transparency Become Urgent

Scramble is on to counter agentic AI gold rush with security, transparency

How safe are the networks of AI agents transforming commerce, work, and identity and authentication systems? Its hard to say.

As agentic AI proliferates rapidly, building frameworks to ensure security and transparency has become an industry-wide imperative. The key challenge is how to secure the safety of networks when AI agents handle commercial transactions and identity authentication on behalf of users.

Currently, no standardized mechanisms exist for auditing and verifying AI agent actions, with risks of fraud and impersonation being flagged. Multiple industry bodies have begun developing trust frameworks that integrate with biometric authentication and digital IDs.

This movement demonstrates that agentic commerce adoption requires not just "technological advancement" but also a "foundation of trust."

Full article: Trust Frameworks for Agentic AI Accelerate

AI Commerce Tools

Reddit Tests AI-Powered Shopping Search -- Turning Community Recommendations into Purchase Pathways

Reddit Tests AI-Powered Shopping Search Feature

Reddit is testing a new AI-powered search feature that displays interactive product carousels with pricing, images, and direct purchase links based on community recommendations.

Reddit has begun testing a new AI-powered shopping search feature with a subset of U.S. users. The feature displays product carousels based on community recommendation data, directly presenting pricing, images, and purchase links.

Reddit's strength lies in "authentic recommendations" backed by real user reviews and discussions. The system where AI analyzes this community data to suggest optimal products for search queries sets itself apart from traditional ad-based shopping search.

As a CGM (Consumer Generated Media) platform strengthening its e-commerce capabilities, e-commerce brands need to start considering Reddit as a new sales channel.

Full article: Reddit Tests AI-Powered Shopping Search Feature

Klaviyo x Google Expand Strategic Partnership in AI Commerce

Klaviyo and Google announce strategic partnership

CNBC's MacKenzie Sigalos reporting on Klaviyo shares rising after the marketing software company broadened its partnership with Google to power more personalized, AI-driven shopping and advertising tools.

Marketing automation platform Klaviyo has announced an expanded strategic partnership with Google to enhance AI-powered personalized shopping and advertising tools. Klaviyo shares rose on the announcement.

The partnership combines Klaviyo's customer data with Google's advertising and AI technology to deliver more precise targeting and commerce experiences. This provides e-commerce brands with a new means to maximize Google Ads performance by leveraging first-party data.

This is a prime example of how AI is accelerating the convergence of martech and adtech.

Corporate News & Partnerships

MercadoLibre Details AI Strategy -- Ad Revenue Up 67%, Payment Assistant Resolves 87% of Queries Automatically

BNamericas - Mercado Libre details AI strategy and next steps

AI-driven ad tools lifted Mercado Ads revenue 67% FX-neutral in 4Q25, while Mercado Pago's assistant resolved 87% of queries without human support.

Latin America's largest e-commerce platform MercadoLibre has detailed its AI strategy and next steps. In Q4 2025, AI-driven ad tools boosted Mercado Ads revenue by 67% on an FX-neutral basis, while Mercado Pago's AI assistant resolved 87% of inquiries without human intervention.

The company's full-scale AI deployment across advertising, payments, and logistics -- delivering results in both profitability and user experience -- serves as a reference model for AI adoption by global e-commerce companies.

Wayfair Announces 2026 Growth Initiatives and AI Plans

Wayfair Announces Ambitious Growth Initiatives and AI Plans

Wayfair's co-founders have announced plans to accelerate growth in 2026 by enhancing product selection, pricing, and delivery, while expanding AI from chatbots to complex workflows and design assistance.

Home furnishing e-commerce leader Wayfair has announced its 2026 growth strategy in a joint statement from co-founders Niraj Shah and Steve Conine. The plan includes expanding product selection, strengthening pricing competitiveness, improving delivery, and extending AI from chatbots to more complex workflows and design assistance.

This is a notable move in deepening AI adoption within the high-ticket, low-frequency furniture e-commerce category.

Global E-Commerce Trends

Thai E-Commerce Market Projected to Reach 1.8 Trillion Baht by 2030 -- AI Adoption and Consumer Confidence Drive Growth

Thai E-commerce to Hit 1.8 Trillion Baht by 2030, Boosted by AI and Confidence

Thai e-commerce market is booming, with a projected value of 1.8 trillion baht by 2030. Consumer confidence, AI adoption, and growing demand for intl. brands are key growth drivers.

Thailand's e-commerce market is projected to reach 1.8 trillion baht (approximately $50B) by 2030. Key growth drivers include rising consumer confidence, expanding AI technology adoption, and growing demand for international brands.

Lazada is capitalizing on the "trade-up" trend in the Thai market by strengthening premium product categories. Thailand's e-commerce growth outlook, as one of Southeast Asia's key markets, is an important indicator for brands considering regional expansion.

South Korea Rolls Out Digital Support Program for 3,500 E-Commerce Firms

South Korea rolls out program for 3,500 e-commerce firms

Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem

The South Korean government has launched a digitalization support program targeting 3,500 small and medium-sized e-commerce businesses. The program supports global expansion and digital tool adoption, aiming to strengthen the e-commerce ecosystem through government-led initiatives.

As public support for e-commerce businesses expands across Asia, South Korea is making its commitment to promoting K-commerce global expansion increasingly clear.

Meta x Retailers Association of India: AI Accelerates India's Omnichannel Shopping

AI Fuels India's Omnichannel Shopping Surge: Meta & Retailers Association of India

We are releasing insights from a new retail whitepaper by Meta, in collaboration with the Retailers Association of India (RAI), on omnichannel retail.

Meta has released a whitepaper on omnichannel retail in India in collaboration with the Retailers Association of India (RAI). India's e-commerce market is projected to double to $200-300B by 2030, with AI and omnichannel strategies driving that growth.

Conversational commerce via WhatsApp and Instagram is experiencing rapid growth in India, and the integration of online and in-store shopping experiences is accelerating through AI technology. This provides important data on the reality of AI commerce in a massive market of 1.4 billion people.

Summary

Today's news paints a multi-faceted picture of agentic commerce transitioning from "hype" to "implementation" phase. Stripe's annual letter assessment of "steady but measured growth" aptly captures the industry's current position.

At the same time, concrete implementation examples are emerging in rapid succession -- from Perplexity's PayPal integration to Circle's stablecoin approach -- as competition at the infrastructure layer intensifies. As Deloitte's B2B research demonstrates, adoption hurdles vary significantly by domain, with core system modernization serving as a prerequisite in many cases.

Going forward, the key question is how the commerce ambitions of non-traditional e-commerce platforms like Reddit will intersect with efforts to ensure agentic AI trust and security.