Shopping agents are still tiny, so now is the cheap time to prepare
Meta's Muse agent has millions of users, yet executives at big companies describe agent activity as small so far. Chipotle's early fixes show what to tidy up first.
What happened
Wired reports that Meta's Muse was a hot topic on recent earnings calls. Muse is an AI agent, software that can take steps on its own, like placing an order for you. Wall Street worries agents will weaken brand loyalty and squeeze profits.
But executives at roughly 50 companies told Wired they haven't seen much disruption. DoorDash put agent orders in the "hundreds," Hilton called bookings "insignificant," and eBay called them "very, very small."
That's not for lack of users. According to Wired, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said more than 10 million people in the US and Canada have activated Muse, and over 25 percent use it for shopping.
Some companies are already tidying up. Wired says Chipotle's chief digital officer, Arlie Sisson, told reporters that agents got stuck finishing purchases because of problems applying loyalty discounts or ordering after hours. Muse's debut increased Chipotle's agentic orders by a single-digit percentage, she said. Chipotle is now cleaning up its website code so agents can get through.
Why it matters
The numbers are small today, which gives you time. You don't need to panic or rebuild anything.
But things move fast. Wired writes that Amazon blocked Muse last month, then said this week that it expects to work with outside agents. Meta also plans to charge businesses a fee on sales Muse makes, according to Zuckerberg. InterContinental Hotels CEO Elie Maalouf said his company hasn't reached "any conclusions" on working with Meta.
So it's smart to decide how you want to handle agents before someone sends you a bill.
What it means for your business
- Restaurants: If your online ordering can't handle a loyalty code or a late-night order cleanly, an agent (and some people) will stumble too.
- Hotels and travel: Make sure rates, taxes and cancellation rules are spelled out in plain text, not buried in pop-ups.
- Self-storage and local services: Check that booking forms don't require a phone call for something simple like a quote or an appointment time.
- Online shops: Look at your discount codes, shipping costs and return rules. Unclear prices confuse agents just like they confuse shoppers.
One thing to try this week
Place an order or booking on your own site, slowly, as if you were a stranger who can only follow what's on the screen. Try a discount code. Try it after closing time. Check that the final price is clear before you pay.
Write down every spot where you hesitated or got confused. Fix the top two or three. It costs almost nothing, and it helps your human customers today.