EC & AI Commerce News Digest (January 21, 2026)

Today's Top News

Mastercard Moves to Shape AI Checkout Rules

Mastercard moves to shape AI shopping as agents reach checkout

As AI agents start shopping and checking out on consumers' behalf, Mastercard wants to set the rules.

Mastercard has launched a major initiative to establish industry standard rules for agentic commerce—automated purchasing by AI agents. According to exclusive reporting by Axios, the company is leveraging its position as a payment network to lead the development of frameworks that enable AI agents to complete transactions safely and smoothly.

This move aligns with the recently announced SRC (Secure Remote Commerce) support for agentic checkout. Mastercard has also added agentic commerce to its startup engagement program "Start Path," accelerating ecosystem development in this space.

With a major payment company moving on rule development, AI agent-driven purchasing is likely transitioning from experimental stage to production-grade commercial infrastructure. For e-commerce operators, this is a clear signal to prioritize agentic readiness.

Full article: Mastercard Announces New Rules for AI Agent Payments

Three Retailers Share Their Agentic AI Implementation Experiences

3 retailers on their role in agentic AI experiences

Executives from Home Depot, URBN and Wayfair discussed during NRF how companies remain the merchant of record by maintaining brand voice and handling customer service and other tasks.

CX Dive published an article interviewing three retailers that have actually implemented agentic AI. The piece details how each company has integrated AI agents into their customer experience, along with the results and challenges they've encountered.

The article emphasizes that agentic AI functions not merely as an automation tool but as a new touchpoint with customers. Specific implementation examples include cases where AI handles everything from product recommendations to purchase completion, as well as customer support integration scenarios.

Given the recent Patchworks survey finding that "75% of retailers are unprepared for agentic shopping," insights from early adopters represent valuable reference information for the entire industry.

Full article: Home Depot, Wayfair, and PayPal Discuss the Future of Agentic AI

Agentic Commerce

Pacsun Achieves CX Improvement with Agentic Checkout

Pacsun Uses Agentic Checkout for Seamless CX

While at the 2026 NRF Big Show, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan discussed agentic checkout with Shirley Gao of Pacsun and Sharon Gee of Commerce.

US apparel brand Pacsun has reportedly improved customer experience (CX) by implementing agentic checkout.

Pacsun is a casual fashion brand targeting younger demographics, strengthening its appeal to digital native generations. With the implementation of agentic checkout, AI understands customer purchase intent and provides a smooth payment experience, aiming to reduce cart abandonment rates.

As an agentic commerce implementation case in the apparel industry, this initiative serves as a reference for other fashion brands.

Full article: Pacsun's "Agentic Checkout" Revolution

Agentic Checkout Expands Across Major AI Platforms

Agentic checkout grows across major AI platforms

Major AI platforms are expanding agentic checkout capabilities.

Major AI platforms are reportedly advancing their implementation of agentic checkout functionality.

Major platforms including Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are successively announcing and enhancing purchase completion capabilities through AI assistants. This enables consumers to complete everything from product search to payment through conversations with AI.

For e-commerce operators, supporting multiple AI platforms becomes a future challenge. While standard protocol development progresses, adaptation to platform-specific implementation differences will also be necessary.

Mastercard Expands Agentic Commerce Program for Startups

Mastercard Startup Program to Include Agentic Commerce

Mastercard expands its Start Path startup engagement program to include agentic commerce.

Mastercard announced the addition of agentic commerce to its startup engagement program "Start Path."

Through this program, the company will discover and support startups developing innovative solutions in the agentic commerce space. The aim is to promote the adoption of agentic commerce from a payment infrastructure perspective.

Mastercard's simultaneous focus on rule development and startup cultivation reveals a strategy to promote growth across the entire ecosystem.

AI Commerce Tools

Triple Whale Acquires Anteater, Expands AI Commerce Intelligence

Triple Whale Acquires Anteater to Expand AI-Powered Commerce Intelligence

Triple Whale, the complete intelligence platform used by more than 50,000 ecommerce and retail brands, today announced it has completed their first acquisition.

E-commerce analytics platform Triple Whale has announced its acquisition of AI company Anteater.

Triple Whale provides a platform that integrates sales, advertising, and customer data analysis for e-commerce operators, primarily those using Shopify. This acquisition strengthens more advanced commerce intelligence capabilities utilizing AI technology.

Competition in the e-commerce analytics tool market is intensifying around AI feature enhancement, and this acquisition is positioned as part of that trend.

Full article: Triple Whale Acquires Anteater: A Strategic Move to Dominate EC Visibility in the AI Search Era

Linnworks Launches "Spotlight AI" for Online Retailers

Linnworks Launches Spotlight AI

Linnworks launches Spotlight AI to help online retailers automate operations and scale with confidence.

Multi-channel e-commerce management platform Linnworks has announced a new AI tool called "Spotlight AI."

Spotlight AI is a tool that automates operations for online retailers and supports scalable growth. AI optimizes complex e-commerce operations including inventory management, order processing, and shipping.

This appears to be a promising option for operational efficiency improvement for small to medium-sized e-commerce operators engaged in multi-channel sales.

Global E-commerce Trends

Temu Approaches Amazon in Global E-commerce Market

Quantifying How China's Temu Has Surged to Match Amazon

China's Temu has surged in global online sales to match Amazon's market presence.

China-based e-commerce platform Temu is reportedly growing at a pace that approaches Amazon in global online sales.

Temu continues to grow rapidly with its low-price strategy and aggressive marketing, with particularly notable market share expansion in cross-border e-commerce. However, concerns about quality control and delivery delays have also been raised.

This could potentially change the competitive structure of the e-commerce market, and existing e-commerce operators need to closely monitor competitor trends.

Gen Z Expects Same-Day Delivery as Standard

The Amazon effect: Gen Z now expect same-day or next-day goods deliveries

Gen Z consumers now expect same-day or next-day deliveries as standard, driven by the Amazon effect.

According to ABC Australia, Gen Z consumers now expect same-day or next-day delivery of online orders as a given service.

Due to this phenomenon called the "Amazon Effect," consumer expectations for delivery speed continue to rise year by year. Gen Z in particular tends to consider delivery within hours of ordering as standard.

For e-commerce operators, this suggests that the priority of logistics investment will increase further.

Corporate News & Partnerships

D&H Acquires Fulfillment.com, Strengthens 3PL Business

D&H Acquires Fulfillment.com In Third-Party Logistics Play

D&H Distributing Company acquires Fulfillment.com to strengthen its third-party logistics capabilities.

IT distributor D&H Distributing Company has announced its acquisition of 3PL provider Fulfillment.com.

With this acquisition, D&H adds fulfillment services to its distribution business, establishing a framework to provide comprehensive logistics solutions for e-commerce operators.

This case demonstrates the trend of increasingly active investment and acquisitions in logistics infrastructure accompanying e-commerce market growth.

China Deepens Investigation into PDD

China Deepens Investigation into Temu Parent PDD

China deepens its probe into PDD Holdings, Temu's parent company, amid regulatory tensions.

According to Bloomberg, Chinese authorities are deepening their investigation into PDD Holdings (Temu's parent company). There are also reports of physical confrontations with regulators, indicating rising tensions.

While PDD has achieved rapid growth, it may be facing challenges in its relationship with regulators. The impact on Temu's global expansion is also being monitored.

Logistics & Fulfillment

USPS Launches Last-Mile Delivery Reservation for Retailers

USPS solicits retailers to reserve last-mile delivery capacity

USPS launches a program allowing retailers to reserve last-mile delivery capacity in advance.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has reportedly launched an advance reservation service for last-mile delivery capacity for retailers.

This system allows retailers to secure delivery slots in advance to prevent delivery delays during peak seasons. This could particularly impact e-commerce operators' logistics planning for the holiday season.

Autonomous Last-Mile Delivery Market to Reach $185.3 Billion by 2033

The Autonomous Last Mile Delivery Market Poised for Striking Growth

The autonomous last mile delivery market is projected to reach $185.30 billion by 2033.

According to Astute Analytica research, the autonomous last-mile delivery market is projected to grow to $185.3 billion by 2033.

Advances in automation technology including autonomous vehicles and drone delivery are expected to improve last-mile delivery efficiency. Combined with e-commerce market growth, investment in logistics automation is accelerating.

Payments & Fintech

IXOPAY Launches TokenEx Packages

IXOPAY Launches New TokenEx Packages

IXOPAY launches new TokenEx packages, setting the standard for token-first payments in the era of agentic commerce.

Payment orchestration platform IXOPAY has announced new token payment packages in partnership with TokenEx.

Positioned as foundational technology for secure payments via AI agents, the company touts "token-first payments for the era of agentic commerce." Payment infrastructure adaptation is advancing alongside the spread of agentic commerce.

Stripe's Collison CEO Discusses the Future of Payments

Watch Stripe's Collison on the Future of How We Spend

Stripe CEO Patrick Collison discusses the future of payments and commerce.

Stripe CEO Patrick Collison discussed the future of payments in a Bloomberg interview.

He shared perspectives on a wide range of topics including the fusion of AI and commerce, the evolution of global payments, and outlooks for the startup ecosystem. This content serves as a valuable reference from an industry leader's perspective.

Summary

In today's EC & AI Commerce news, institutionalization and standardization of agentic commerce emerged as a major theme. With Mastercard moving on rule development and multiple retailers sharing implementation experiences, progress toward practical application is accelerating.

Simultaneously, investment in AI analytics tools is intensifying, with competition heating up among e-commerce AI tools like Triple Whale and Linnworks.

On the logistics and payment infrastructure front, foundation building for the agentic commerce era continues, including D&H's 3PL acquisition and IXOPAY's token payment packages.

For e-commerce operators, this is a phase that requires assessing the priority of agentic readiness while simultaneously advancing operational efficiency through AI utilization and optimization of logistics and payment infrastructure.