Walmart will let AI agents shop and buy on its site

Walmart will allow AI agents to shop on its website starting next month, with shopper approval, purchase review and spending limits. Its terms bar agents from acting beyond what the shopper intends or changing payment methods. Amazon, by contrast, has blocked Perplexity's shopping agent and Meta's Muse.

Why it matters: Retailers are splitting into open and closed camps on agentic commerce, and Walmart is betting that rule-bound access wins. Its terms may become a template for agent permissions, since control over payment and intent is the main trust problem for shopping agents.