The AI shopping race split into two camps yesterday.
Yesterday (10/21), Walmart announced in San Francisco that it’s launching “Agent Gateway,” allowing AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Meta Muse to connect directly to Walmart and Sam’s Club to search for products and place orders—all in one go. Next month (November), it will launch “Agent Profiles,” giving each agent its own profile, keeping its spending separate, and allowing users to set spending limits and approve orders one by one.
Amazon’s stance is exactly the opposite: it’s blocking AI agents.
A few details to verify first:
Agents can’t access your payment card data; violations result in an immediate account ban, and returns follow Walmart’s standard process (TechCrunch article).
All Walmart accounts can use it; a Walmart+ membership isn’t required (Reuters article).
Reuters only described the gateway’s technology as “a platform.” Some secondary reports say it’s based on the MCP protocol—but I haven’t verified that with a primary source, so consider it unconfirmed for now.
My take:
This is a landmark moment for agentic commerce. For the first time, a retail giant has officially acknowledged that the point of entry for shopping in the future won’t be an app—it’ll be an agent.
Amazon is betting that “traffic has to stay in my hands.” Walmart is betting that “I want every order agents bring in.”
One of these two strategies will prove right—and the winner will redefine e-commerce.
Yesterday (10/21), Walmart announced in San Francisco that it’s launching “Agent Gateway,” allowing AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Meta Muse to connect directly to Walmart and Sam’s Club to search for products and place orders—all in one go. Next month (November), it will launch “Agent Profiles,” giving each agent its own profile, keeping its spending separate, and allowing users to set spending limits and approve orders one by one.
Amazon’s stance is exactly the opposite: it’s blocking AI agents.
A few details to verify first:
Agents can’t access your payment card data; violations result in an immediate account ban, and returns follow Walmart’s standard process (TechCrunch article).
All Walmart accounts can use it; a Walmart+ membership isn’t required (Reuters article).
Reuters only described the gateway’s technology as “a platform.” Some secondary reports say it’s based on the MCP protocol—but I haven’t verified that with a primary source, so consider it unconfirmed for now.
My take:
This is a landmark moment for agentic commerce. For the first time, a retail giant has officially acknowledged that the point of entry for shopping in the future won’t be an app—it’ll be an agent.
Amazon is betting that “traffic has to stay in my hands.” Walmart is betting that “I want every order agents bring in.”
One of these two strategies will prove right—and the winner will redefine e-commerce.