Among surveyed merchants selling through their own site or app, 37% identified AI-originated visits but lost the trail before purchase.

AI visibility is a high or critical priority for 80% of merchants, compared with 62% for identifying AI-driven visits and purchases.

Connecting referrals to completed orders could help retailers compare AI investments and evaluate partnerships.

A retailer’s next artificial intelligence investment could depend on what happens after a shopper arrives.

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The PYMNTS Intelligence report “The Agent Advantage: How Merchants Plan to Win AI Shopping” found in October that among surveyed merchants selling through their own site or app, 37% knew a visit came from an AI platform but lost the trail before purchase. Connecting the referral to a completed order could help merchants determine which efforts generate business and deserve additional spending.

The opportunity extends across product discovery, marketing and checkout. A merchant might improve product information for AI assistants, work with an eCommerce provider or participate in an agent platform. Following the resulting purchases would give each investment a measurable commercial outcome.

The report drew on a survey of 60 senior eCommerce decision-makers at established, digitally active merchants in the United States with annual revenue between $50 million and $1 billion. Its findings described businesses preparing for agentic commerce while still developing the ability to measure AI’s contribution.

No surveyed merchant selling through its own site or app can fully and consistently connect AI-driven visits to completed purchases.

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