EC & AI Commerce News Digest (January 20, 2026)

Today's Top Stories

Revolut × Google AP2 Integration Enables Payments via AI Chatbots

Revolut, Google to enable shopping directly via AI chatbots in Europe

Revolut has joined Google to capitalise on agentic commerce as a growing number of consumers are expected to shop using AI chatbots.

Revolut has partnered with Google to announce "Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)" integration, enabling direct purchases through AI chatbots in Europe.

This integration allows consumers to search and compare products while conversing with AI agents, then seamlessly pay with Revolut Pay. With over 50 million users in Europe, Revolut's payment infrastructure could accelerate the adoption of agentic commerce.

Google's AP2 is an open protocol co-developed with over 60 companies including Adyen, American Express, Mastercard, and PayPal. It uses cryptographically signed digital contracts called "Mandates" to verifiably record the purchasing authority users grant to AI agents. This enables AI agents to securely process payments, marking a crucial step in eliminating "payment friction" in agentic payments.

Full Article: Revolut × Google AP2 Integration: Enabling Payments via AI Chatbots in Europe

SRC Announces Guest Checkout for Agentic Commerce

SRC Gives Agentic Commerce a New Guest Checkout Playbook

As commerce becomes increasingly agent-driven, guest checkout is poised for a resurgence, with EMV SRC 1.5 and passkey authentication.

Secure Remote Commerce (SRC), jointly promoted by Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover, is delivering a new guest checkout experience adapted for the AI agent era.

By combining EMV SRC 1.5 with passkey authentication, AI agents can securely complete payments on behalf of users. While traditional guest checkout required manual card information entry, the new SRC specification allows agents to safely process tokenized payment information.

This enables AI agents to smoothly conduct purchases on behalf of users even on sites where they don't have accounts. It represents a significant evolution in payment infrastructure for realizing agentic commerce.

Full Article: SRC Gives Agentic Commerce a New Guest Checkout Playbook

Agentic Commerce

75% of Retailers Unprepared for Agentic Shopping

Only one in four retailers ready for agentic shopping, Patchworks warns

Just 27% of UK retailers say their technology stack is connected and scalable enough to support agentic shopping - leaving most unprepared.

A survey by integration platform provider Patchworks reveals that only 27% of UK retailers have technology stacks capable of supporting agentic shopping.

The survey notes that many retailers struggle with lack of system integration and data silos, pointing out that the API connections necessary for AI agents to perform real-time inventory checks and price inquiries are not in place.

Retailers need to urgently address system integration and API readiness before agentic commerce becomes mainstream. Those who delay risk losing customers who shop through AI agents to competitors.

Full Article: Only 27% of Retailers Ready for Agentic Shopping

Tredence Unveils Agentic Commerce Accelerators

Tredence Unveils Agentic Commerce Solution Accelerators

Tredence launches enterprise-grade Agentic Commerce accelerators to design, build and scale agent-driven shopping experiences.

AI solutions company Tredence has announced agentic commerce accelerators for retailers.

This solution packages development kits and consulting services for retailers to make their e-commerce platforms AI agent-ready. It provides API gateway construction, real-time inventory and pricing integration, and AI agent authentication capabilities.

For retailers rushing to adapt to agentic commerce, this offers a faster deployment option than in-house development.

Global E-commerce Trends

TikTok Shop Enters European Market with New Logistics Strategy

TikTok Shop eyes Europe with new logistics strategy

TikTok Shop has Europe in its sights with a new logistics scheme to speed up local fulfillment, fueled by content-driven sales tactics.

TikTok Shop has announced a new logistics strategy for its full-scale entry into the European market. They are building logistics schemes to accelerate local fulfillment, combined with content-driven sales tactics.

Previously, TikTok Shop operated in the UK and some Southeast Asian countries, but is now accelerating expansion into continental Europe. Their sales approach leveraging live commerce and short videos has gained particular support among younger demographics.

Full Article: TikTok Shop Builds Serious Logistics Infrastructure in Europe

TikTok Shop Expands AI Merchant Tools

TikTok Adds More AI-Powered Tools To Assist TikTok Shop Merchants

TikTok introduces a suite of AI tools to strengthen TikTok Shop merchant capabilities.

TikTok Shop has expanded its AI tools for merchants. Features including automatic product description generation, price optimization, and demand forecasting have been added, enabling even small and medium-sized businesses to efficiently operate TikTok Shop.

The automatic product description generation feature, which analyzes short video content to suggest optimal product descriptions, is a distinctive feature of content commerce.

Wolt Repositions as Local Commerce Platform

Wolt repositions itself as broad trading platform

Wolt has launched an update for its app. It wants to take a step towards becoming a multi-category commerce platform.

DoorDash-owned Wolt has refreshed its app, pivoting from food delivery to a multi-category commerce platform.

The new app handles not only food but also daily necessities, pharmaceuticals, and electronics, aiming to serve as a "local commerce" hub. This appears to be a differentiation move amid intensifying quick commerce competition.

Amazon Now Launches in London, European Expansion Ahead

Amazon Now live in London, European expansion imminent

Amazon Now is now live in London, with European expansion imminent for the quick commerce service.

Amazon's quick delivery service Amazon Now has launched full-scale operations in London. Achieving 15-minute to 1-hour delivery, expansion to other European cities is also planned.

Competition with quick commerce operators like Wolt, Gorillas, and Getir is expected to intensify, primarily in grocery and daily necessities categories.

Corporate News & Partnerships

AnyMind Group Acquires Bcode and Sun Smile to Strengthen Social Commerce

AnyMind Group expands Japan social commerce footprint with acquisition of Bcode

AnyMind Group acquires all shares of Bcode Inc. to strengthen end-to-end social commerce infrastructure.

AnyMind Group has acquired Japanese live commerce operator Bcode and beauty distributor Sun Smile. The move aims to expand in live commerce and O2O (Online to Offline) domains.

Bcode has a track record in influencer-driven live commerce operations, while Sun Smile has strengths in offline retail partnerships. Through integrating both companies, AnyMind is building a structure covering from social commerce to offline sales.

WD-40 E-commerce Sales Jump 22% in Q1

WD-40 ecommerce sales jump 22% in Q1

WD-40's e-commerce sales surged 22%, highlighting strong digital performance driven by WD-40 Specialist demand.

WD-40, known for industrial lubricants, announced Q1 results showing e-commerce sales increased 22% year-over-year.

B2B e-commerce strengthening and marketplace expansion on Amazon and others are driving growth. This is a prime example of traditional manufacturers leveraging e-commerce channels as growth drivers.

Regulations & Policy

China Strengthens Live Commerce Food Safety Regulations (Effective March 20)

CN to Implement New Live E-commerce Food Safety Regulations

China to implement new live e-commerce food safety regulations starting March 20.

The Chinese government will strengthen food safety regulations for live commerce starting March 20. Live commerce operators will face stricter obligations to verify food safety and prohibitions against false advertising.

This is a move to strengthen consumer protection in the rapidly growing live commerce market. Violations will result in penalties including business suspension and fines.

Summary

Today's news highlights the rapid progress in agentic commerce infrastructure development. From Revolut × Google's payment integration to SRC's guest checkout support, the foundation for AI agents to conduct purchases on behalf of users is steadily being built.

However, as Patchworks' survey shows, many retailers are still unprepared for agentic shopping. System integration and API readiness will be crucial factors determining future competitiveness.

Also noteworthy is how the global e-commerce competitive landscape is being redrawn, with TikTok Shop's European expansion and Wolt's repositioning.