When AI shops for you, who actually places the order?

Facts checked on 4 November 2026.

“Find a black rain jacket in medium that will arrive by Friday. My limit is €120.” An assistant could return three links, assemble a basket or prepare a purchase. It matters exactly when the search turns into an order. Real purchases in Europe now illustrate the distinction.

What has already worked in Europe

On 2 July 2026 Visa reported agents making purchases on ordinary retail websites within instructions set by cardholders. More than 30 European financial institutions took part, including Commerzbank, DKB and ING. The programme used payment passkeys to help authenticate transactions. That establishes that agents completed real purchases with participating retailers. It doesn’t tell you whether your own card gives you an agent to shop with. Visa’s European transaction report, in German

Three buying journeys that look similar on a phone

Staying inside the same app tells you little about where the payment goes. Shopify describes its own ChatGPT channel as a referral to the store. OpenAI separately documents a checkout for approved partners. Those product documents do not establish general access for shoppers in Germany. Look at the option actually offered for your item, merchant and delivery address. Shopify’s ChatGPT channel · OpenAI checkout specification

Where to intervene on the rain jacket

The right jacket is €109. Friday delivery requires €14 express shipping. The €123 total is over budget. Or suppose the store is out of medium and offers large instead. Both changes need a decision. “Up to €120 including shipping, size medium, no substitutes, ask before paying” makes those limits explicit. If the service cannot enforce them, ask it to prepare a basket and complete the order yourself.

To compare offers you can start with size, delivery area and budget. Enter a full address when the order requires it, and payment credentials in the payment form. Look for the merchant’s confirmation after approval. If the connection drops, check orders and payment activity before confirming the same basket again. OpenAI’s explanation of order confirmation and payment processing

If the product is wrong

Start with the order confirmation. Who sold the jacket, which variant did you agree to, and when was it delivered? German law generally gives consumers a right to withdraw from distance contracts with traders, with exceptions such as personalised or perishable goods. An incorrect delivery and an unauthorised charge also raise different issues from simply changing your mind. Keeping both the order and the selection you approved makes the distinction easier to document. Section 312g of the German Civil Code · How the withdrawal function works in Germany

For retailers the same problem begins in the catalogue. Are size, stock and delivery terms precise enough for an assistant to carry out the request? Agent-ready commerce