AI in E-Commerce in 2026. The New Shopping Funnel: From AI Search, Agentic Payments, to AI Customer Experience
About this ebook
This report covers all three layers: AI discovery and the shortlist effect, the new protocol stack enabling agentic payments, and what separates brands winning in AI customer service from those losing trust. Based on 70 sources. Written for e-commerce leaders making decisions now.
Table of contents
Foreword
Executive Summary
What’s changing
Why this matters
What to do
The New Shopping Funnel: AI as the First Touchpoint
Why this matters
What to do
Agentic Commerce and Payments
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Agent-to-Agent Protocol (A2A)
Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)
Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)
Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)
Trusted Agent Protocol (TAP)
Web Model Context Protocol (WebMCP)
Why this matters
What to do
Merchant Infrastructure for AI Shopping
Why this matters
What to do
Advertising in AI Surfaces
Why this matters
What to watch
AI in Customer Service and Revenue Operations
Why this matters
What to do
Risk, Compliance, and Brand Trust
Transparency requirements
Pricing transparency and antitrust
Security posture for agentic traffic
Strategic Framework for 2026
Platform and protocol positioning
Organizational capability gaps
Capital allocation priorities
AI shelf-readiness
AI-surface marketing
AI customer experience
Appendix A: Adjacent High-Impact AI Use Cases and Emerging Infrastructure
Personalization and merchandising at scale
Dynamic pricing (and the regulatory response)
Generative content and creative automation
Logistics and operations
Trust, reviews, and deception controls
Stablecoins and micropayment infrastructure
References
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
About the author
Bart Turczynski is the Head of Growth at Tidio, where he leads customer acquisition and growth initiatives focused on the intersection of AI, marketing, and ecommerce. With a decade of experience in digital marketing and growth strategy, he previously helped scale Zety into a leading career platform. Bart is also a co-founder of MoreGrowth and Natu.Care, where he has driven organic user acquisition and built sustainable growth channels.
Marika Adamczewska-Jankowiak is a freelance Visual Designer with over 8 years of experience in digital, print, branding, and web design. She has experience working in agencies as well as with product companies, delivering creative and practical design solutions.
Tytus Golas is the founder and CEO of Tidio, where he leads growth and product strategy at the intersection of AI, ecommerce, and customer communication. A four-time Forbes 30 Under 30 finalist, he has a decade of experience scaling high-growth startups. Tytus is a hands-on builder in the AI space, focused on developing intelligent agents and tools that simplify how businesses and customers interact.
