Microsoft has rolled out two new artificial intelligence-based features designed to improve the online shopping experience. Copilot Checkout now allows purchases directly within Copilot's chat interface, while Brand Agents gives merchants the ability to integrate a personalized AI assistant on their website.
Key takeaways:
- Copilot Checkout allows you to buy and pay directly within the conversation with the AI, without leaving the interface.
- Brand Agents is an AI shopping assistant that speaks in your brand's voice and is trained on your product catalog.
- Shopify merchants are automatically enrolled in Copilot Checkout with the option to opt out.
- Microsoft joins Google and OpenAI in the race for AI conversational commerce.
Copilot Checkout: buy without leaving the conversation
Microsoft is currently rolling out Copilot Checkout in the United States on Copilot.com, with plans to extend it across its ecosystem: Bing, MSN and Edge. What does this new feature offer? It simply allows users to shop directly within Copilot's chat interface, while conversing naturally with the AI.
The system relies on strategic partnerships with PayPal, Shopify, Stripe and Etsy for payment processing. Shopify merchants are automatically enrolled in the service with an opt-out option, while other merchants can request integration via a dedicated form.
Since the launch, several major U.S. retailers have been offering their products through Copilot Checkout, including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Ashley Furniture. Handmade items from Etsy are also available. Microsoft is also working with Mastercard and Visa to integrate their Agent Pay and Intelligent Commerce payment solutions.
Brand Agents: a personalized AI assistant for every brand
At the same time, Brand Agents is another new offering from Microsoft in the conversational commerce space. Accessible to Shopify merchants, this tool allows them to deploy an AI-powered shopping assistant directly on their website.
The assistant is trained on the brand's product catalog and can answer detailed questions while maintaining the brand's specific tone and voice. According to Microsoft, deployment takes only a few hourscompared with several weeks for traditional solutions.
According to the American giant, the results look promising: sessions assisted by Brand Agents indeed show higher engagement and conversion rates than sessions without AI assistance. Brand Agents also offers analytics dashboards to track these results and optimize the customer experience.
Competition is intensifying in conversational commerce
With these announcements, Microsoft clearly shows its attention: rto catch up with its competitors in AI-assisted shopping. Google already presented its own conversational payment solution in 2025 with its UCP standard, whileOpenAI launched instant payment on ChatGPT with Instant Checkout.
This convergence toward conversational commerce marks a significant evolution for e-commerce. Users can now discuss their needs, get personalized recommendations, and complete their purchases without ever leaving their conversation with the AI.
The article “Copilot Checkout and Brand Agents: Microsoft's answer to AI shopping” was published on the site Abondance.
