On January 8, 2026, Microsoft unveiled two capabilities:

• Copilot Checkout: Shoppers can directly buy from Copilot.com. It is currently rolled out in the USA, with partner activation across PayPal, Shopify, and Stripe.

• Brand Agents: They are AI-powered shopping assistants that live on a merchant’s own website and speak in the brand’s voice to guide customers from curiosity to purchase.

From my perspective, there are three major impacts for businesses.

• Payments and checkout infrastructure: As more transactions occur within AI conversations, businesses need simpler, more secure checkout systems, such as token-based payments, that allow transactions to complete smoothly without exposing sensitive customer data.

• Budget allocation on media and touchpoints: With Copilot Checkout and Brand Agents, consumers may show some changes in their shopping journeys. Businesses might need to reassess their marketing communication investments.

• Content management: When more shoppers use AI to make purchase decisions, businesses should ensure their brands are more recommended by AI, rather than relying solely on traffic and reach. This should be done by ensuring their brands are clearly and consistently represented in ways that AI can understand and surface confidently.

What are your thoughts? Please let me know.

Vincent

I am Vincent Kwong, a seasoned consumer planner with nearly two decades of market research and business planning experience on both the agency and client sides. Currently, I am Director & Partner of Intuit Research, a research agency specializing in multi-country market research projects. Companies that I have served in my career include McDonald’s, Diageo, PepsiCo, Estee Lauder, Heineken, GSK, Pizza Hut, Lenovo and HSBC. I am also a part-time instructor at Schulich School of Business, York University in Canada.

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