Walmart plans to give shoppers separate profiles for AI agents buying through Walmart and Sam’s Club, adding order tracking and spending limits as the retailer prepares for more automated purchases.
The retailer announced the plans Wednesday, Oct. 21. Agent Profiles are expected within a month. Walmart says agents currently use customers’ accounts, which can mix software-made purchases with orders placed by the customer. Separate profiles will let shoppers review each agent’s activity on its own and either approve every order or set a maximum purchase amount. Walmart listed $50, $100 and $200 as examples. Customers can delete a profile at any time.
Walmart’s terms make customer approval the default and allow the retailer to request another confirmation even when a purchase falls below an authorized limit. Agents cannot see payment-card details or change a customer’s payment method. Walmart says customers can use its returns process if an agent makes an unintended purchase, and the retailer may block agents that break its terms.
The Walmart Agent Gateway will give automated shoppers another way to browse Walmart’s products. The company says its regular storefront is designed for human browsing and can slow or disrupt automated activity. Walmart says the Gateway could help an agent locate familiar items, such as sourdough bread or a preferred milk brand, without seeing the shopper’s wider purchase history. Agents will see the same prices as human shoppers, with applicable offers and fees displayed before purchase.
The Gateway will first be tested by companies and developers. Walmart’s Gateway page describes access as limited and invitation-only. The retailer says it already supports conversational shopping through Muse, ChatGPT and Gemini.
The new spending controls come amid questions about how shopping agents affect purchases. Walmart has said customers who use its Sparky shopping assistant spend 40% more per order than those who do not, though the comparison does not show that Sparky caused the difference. Consumer protection expert Lindsay Owens told CBS News she is concerned agents could encourage higher spending, as EconoTimes previously reported on shopping agents and spending.
