In 2026, the most decisive “customer” in your category may not be a human. It will be an AI agent — armed with your customer’s complete purchase history, budget, preferences, and delegated authority to buy. If your brand is not legible, credible, and transaction‑ready for that agent, you will simply not be shown. Not ranked lower. Not shown at all.
This is not a future scenario. At the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 16, 2026, Mastercard demonstrated what it called India’s first fully authenticated agentic commerce transaction — executed on real cards issued by Axis Bank and RBL Bank, with payments processed via Cashfree, Juspay, PayU