2026: The Year of Zero-Click Buying -- How AI Agents Are Transforming Shopping

What Is Zero-Click Buying?

On January 9, 2026, U.S. retail industry media Retail Brew published an article titled "2026: The Year of Zero-Click Buying."

"Zero-click buying" is a new purchasing model where AI agents autonomously select, compare, and complete purchases without consumers clicking the "buy" button. This concept, proposed by Forrester's Sucharita Kodali (Vice President and Principal Analyst), represents a world where consumers can complete shopping through conversation alone without leaving the app.

Traditional e-commerce required multiple steps: searching, comparing, adding to cart, and checkout. However, with AI agents intervening, simply saying "I want XX" prompts the agent to find the optimal product, compare prices, and automatically complete the purchase based on past purchase history and preferences.

Background and Industry Trends

Why is "zero-click buying" attracting attention now? The background lies in the rapid evolution of agentic AI.

According to Gartner research, 40% of enterprise applications are predicted to feature task-specific AI agents by the end of 2026. This is a dramatic increase from less than 5% in 2025. Gartner analyst Kassi Socha states, "2026 will be the year of hockey-stick growth in agentic AI adoption."

Consumers are also getting ready. Recent surveys show that 73% of consumers are already using AI for shopping, utilizing it for gathering product ideas (45%), summarizing reviews (37%), and comparing prices (32%). More importantly, 70% of consumers responded that they have "some level of comfort" with AI agents making purchases on their behalf.

eMarketer predicts that EC sales through AI platforms will account for 1.5% of total retail EC (approximately $20.9 billion) in 2026. This represents nearly a 4x increase from 2025, showing rapid growth in the massive EC market.

Major Player Strategies and Movements

Tech giants and retailers are engaged in fierce competition to realize zero-click buying.

OpenAI has introduced the shopping feature "Instant Checkout" to ChatGPT. This system allows direct purchases of products from Walmart, Shopify, Target, Etsy, and others within ChatGPT, adopting a business model that charges fees per transaction.

Amazon is taking its own approach. In addition to the AI shopping assistant "Rufus" released last year, they are testing a "Buy For Me" feature that allows purchases from other sites. However, they are also blocking access from external AI agents. This is seen as a defensive measure to protect their $56 billion annual advertising revenue.

Perplexity's AI shopping agent provides functionality that logs into sites on behalf of users and automatically handles everything from product search to purchase. However, this approach has become problematic, leading to a lawsuit from Amazon. Perplexity's CEO argues that "AI agents should have the same rights as human users."

Microsoft has also entered the AI shopping competition by announcing Copilot Checkout.

Impact on EC Businesses and Response Strategies

The spread of zero-click buying demands fundamental transformation from EC businesses.

First, optimization to "be chosen by AI" becomes necessary. In addition to traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization), new concepts like "AEO" (Answer Engine Optimization) and "agent optimization" are becoming important. Structured data preparation, enriched metadata, and product catalog accuracy become keys to having AI agents correctly understand and recommend products.

A new KPI called "Share of Model" (how much AI recommends your brand) is also emerging. This could become an important competitive metric replacing traditional "search rankings."

Additionally, Gartner predicts that 90% of B2B purchases will be made through AI agents by 2028. This means over $15 trillion in B2B spending will go through AI agents, a trend that B2B businesses cannot ignore.

However, Forrester's Kodali also offers a cautious view: "Most retailers will wait and see until competitors adopt first." In fact, Forrester's survey of 700 consumers shows that only about one-third are positive about completing payments through AI, with data privacy concerns remaining a barrier.

Summary

2026 is a turning point where "zero-click buying" by AI agents becomes reality. McKinsey predicts that agentic commerce will generate $1 trillion in revenue for U.S. retail by 2030, and Morgan Stanley estimates that about half of U.S. consumers will use AI agents by 2030, leading to up to $115 billion in increased EC spending.

However, challenges abound. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy points out that "most AI shopping agents are not providing satisfactory customer experiences," citing lack of personalization, inaccurate pricing, and delivery estimates as problems.

What EC businesses should work on immediately includes structuring and improving product data quality, developing policies for responding to AI agents, and ensuring transparency regarding consumer privacy concerns. Starting preparations now to "be chosen by AI" will lead to competitive advantage in 2026 and beyond.

Reference Links

• 2026: The year of 'zero-click buying' - Retail Brew
• Gartner Predicts 40% of Enterprise Apps Will Feature Task-Specific AI Agents by 2026
• Why the AI shopping agent wars will heat up in 2026 - Modern Retail
• Amazon faces a dilemma - fight AI shopping agents, or join them - CNBC
• Forrester Analyst Profile: Sucharita Kodali
• Gartner: AI agents will command $15 trillion in B2B purchases by 2028
• AI shopping tools gain traction, but retailer pushback could cloud 2026 progress - eMarketer