Salesforce expects AI chatbots to start 20 percent of holiday online shopping visits in 2026, and sellers may need proof a real customer approved each AI-made order.
More of your holiday shoppers may arrive through an AI chatbot this year. Salesforce predicts that chatbots will start 20 percent of all holiday online shopping visits in 2026. Some of those assistants may go further and place the order for the customer. That raises a question for any seller: can you prove a real person said yes?
An AI shopping assistant is a chatbot that helps people find and compare products. The new part is that some can also buy on a person's behalf. A story in Inc. points out the risk for sellers. If a purchase is made by software, the record of who approved it may be thin.
Any business that takes web orders is in the picture. That includes online stores and small retailers. It matters most for those that handle refunds and payment disputes. A dispute, often called a chargeback, is when a customer asks their card company to take the money back.
The trouble comes when a customer says they never agreed to a purchase. If an AI made the order, you may need to show that the customer approved it. Without that, a simple refund request can turn into a fight you struggle to win.
The material does not say how payment companies will treat orders placed by AI assistants. It also does not say what proof they will accept. Salesforce's figure is a prediction, not a count of actual sales.
The steps in the alert box above are a good place to start. They cover your order records, your payment provider, your refund policy and what you save. Sellers with no AI-driven orders yet still have time to set this up before the holiday rush.
Before the holiday rush, make sure your records can show that a real customer approved an order, even when an AI assistant placed it.
Otto, a new customer-tracking app for field sales teams, lets reps speak their notes instead of typing them. Price and launch details are not yet known.
Read more: Otto launches a sales app you talk to instead of typingMastercard describes AI tools that could buy things for you, and says trust is the hard part: who gets to spend your money, and under what rules.
Read more: Mastercard outlines how AI assistants could shop and pay for youFake PayPal emails and texts, some posing as a security report, try to get you to tap a link and type your login. Checking your account directly avoids the trap.
Read more: Got a fake PayPal message? Skip its link and check your account yourself
