Menlo Ventures Forecasts AI Agents Will Drive $100 Billion In Sales Within A Year

MediaPost reports Menlo Ventures' State of Consumer AI, published in September 2026, estimates agentic purchases will drive $100 billion in online sales over the next 12 months, on top of $40 billion in aggregate consumer AI spend already logged globally this year, based on a survey of 5,067 U.S. adults with Morning Consult. The study found 41% had tried an AI agent, 24% use one regularly, and 32% have let an AI act on their behalf without final approval; among agent users, 92% pay for AI and 63% use it daily. The sell-side sting is in the mechanics: if an agent buys the best-reviewed, lowest-priced item automatically, mid-funnel tactics such as retargeting, abandoned-cart email and influencer placements lose their grip, and the transaction happens without the marketer knowing. Profound analysts found Meta's Muse recommended web-based products four of six times despite pulling most options from Meta's own catalog, and resident-IP browsing by Muse and OpenClaw's Instinct makes the traffic hard to separate from humans.