Agentic commerce to reach 1.3 billion users globally by 2031, as card infrastructure leads the way
A new study by global tech strategists Juniper Research has found that the number of agentic commerce users will reach 1.3 billion by 2031; rising from less than 300 million this year. This dramatic growth of nearly 350% is being driven by:
. Emergence of direct support by major retailers
. Growing comfort levels with AI systems
. Increased availability of agentic payment infrastructure
The research identified that while user familiarity and trust with agentic commerce is low at present, this will rapidly change as AI further establishes itself as a normal part of day-to-day life. As retailers increasingly roll out agentic capabilities, and infrastructure frameworks continue to emerge, agentic commerce will move into the mainstream.
An extract from the report, Agentic Commerce Market 2026-2031, is available as a free download.
Card Infrastructure Leading Payment Infrastructure, for Now
The report acknowledged card payments as taking an early lead in underpinning payments within agentic commerce; with card networks being heavily involved in early pilots and frameworks. However, the report identified a user’s ability to pay using their chosen method as hugely important to user behaviour, and recommends that agentic commerce platforms prioritise integrating popular local payment methods to achieve the strongest growth potential.
VP of Research, Nick Maynard, commented: “Cards increasingly support agent payments through tokenisation, but card domination within agentic commerce is not in the market’s best interests, given how important payment preferences are within eCommerce. If agentic commerce fails to support local payments, such as digital wallets and Account-to-Account payments, the market will limit its overall growth potential.”
