Walmart is preparing to let customers use personal AI agents to shop on its main website and at Sam’s Club. The retailer says customers will be able to authorize purchases, set spending limits and track items bought by an agent separately from their own shopping.<\/p>\n
The plans contrast with Amazon, which bans third-party agentic shopping tools such as Meta’s Muse and Perplexity’s shopping agent. Walmart has not given an exact launch date for its broader agentic shopping feature, but new options are expected in Walmart accounts by the end of November.<\/p>\n
Walmart’s new tool, called Agent Profiles, is due to launch in November. It is designed to give customers control over purchases made through their accounts.<\/p>\n
According to Walmart, the tool will keep an agent’s purchases separate from a customer’s own shopping activity. Customers can decide how purchases should be approved, and they can set a spending limit so an agent does not exceed an amount they choose.<\/p>\n
Purchase approval will be enabled by default for all agent shopping. That default gives customers a review step before an agent completes an order.<\/p>\n
Walmart is also developing an Agent Gateway, a backend interface designed for AI agents. It is separate from the shopping experience shown to customers and is intended to give agents what Walmart describes as a faster and more reliable way to shop.<\/p>\n
The gateway uses the Model Text Protocol, a method for connecting AI systems with external services. Walmart says the system is being built so agents can work with the retailer’s website without relying on the same interface used by people.<\/p>\n
Walmart may also send product suggestions to an agent based on a customer’s usual purchases. The company says this can help an agent find familiar items, such as sourdough bread or a particular brand of milk, without sharing the customer’s broader shopping history.<\/p>\n
Walmart is revising its terms and conditions for AI agents and updating its privacy policy. The new rules are intended to set boundaries for automated access to customer accounts and purchasing functions.<\/p>\n
According to the company, agents will be prohibited from changing payment card information. They will also be required to access only the information needed for the task at hand. Agentic shopping technology that does not comply with the new rules could be removed from Walmart’s website.<\/p>\n
These controls put the customer at the center of the shopping process. Approval settings, spending limits and restricted access determine how much authority an agent has and what information it can use.<\/p>\n
Walmart has not yet announced an exact launch date for agentic shopping, so customers do not need to change their shopping routine today. When the options appear, businesses that sell through Walmart should consider these steps:<\/p>\n
Review the Agent Profiles settings once Walmart makes them available, including purchase approval and spending limits.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Keep an eye on the separate purchase record so agent activity can be checked against a customer’s own orders.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Review Walmart’s updated terms and privacy policy before allowing an agent to access an account.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
For sellers, keep product information current because agents may use Walmart’s backend tools to find and suggest products.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Agentic shopping could change how people find products online. Instead of only appearing in search results or a traditional product grid, a product may be presented through an agent’s response or recommendation.<\/p>\n
Walmart says agents can receive product ideas directly, including suggestions based on a customer’s usual purchases. For businesses, accurate product information will matter as customers increasingly rely on automated systems to find items. The retailer has not described how sellers can influence those recommendations or which products will be suggested.<\/p>\n
Walmart is introducing Agent Profiles in November. The company has not given an exact launch date for all agentic shopping options, but new options are expected in Walmart accounts by the end of November.<\/p>\n
Customers can set a spending limit through Agent Profiles. Walmart says the tool helps prevent an AI agent from exceeding the amount the customer chooses.<\/p>\n
Walmart plans to let personal AI agents shop on its main website and at Sam’s Club. Customers will be able to authorize purchases, choose approval settings and track agent purchases separately.<\/p>\n