Observed Signal · Sep 17, 2026 · Conference Panel · Source: The Drum · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
AI Agents Emerge as Key Holiday Shoppers
At The Advertising Club of New York's Commerce Media Exchange Conference, executives from Wevo, Dentsu, and Mastercard discussed the growing influence of AI agents on commerce and advertising. Nitzan Shaer, CEO of Wevo, cited Adobe data showing that 20% of holiday shopping experiences in 2025 were influenced by AI agents, with conversion rates 40% higher for agent-influenced purchases by March 2026. Jen Bryce of Dentsu highlighted the shift from search bars to agents pre-filtering options and the use of AI agents for continuous media planning and optimization. Nili Klenoff of Mastercard emphasized the importance of brand trust and product data legibility for agents. The panel also covered the use of synthetic audiences for campaign testing, balancing automation with human judgment, and the need for marketers to measure agent-driven traffic separately.
Highlights the growing impact of AI agents on commerce and advertising, a key emerging trend for the AdTech industry, with concrete data and strategic implications for brands and agencies.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- 20% of 2025 holiday shopping experiences were influenced by AI agents, according to Adobe data cited by Wevo's CEO.
- Agent-influenced purchases converted about 40% better than non-agent traffic by March 2026.
- Dentsu uses AI agents for continuous media buying optimization, replanning within hours or days instead of weeks.
- Mastercard's Nili Klenoff stated that brand trust becomes more important in agentic commerce.
- Mastercard uses synthetic audiences to predict campaign responses and product reception.
- The panel took place at The Advertising Club of New York's Commerce Media Exchange Conference.
- The Drum was a media partner for the conference.
Connected Companies & Entities
“Jen Bryce, head of commerce strategy at Dentsu in the US, said brands were already seeing the change in discovery.”
“Nili Klenoff, head of Mastercard Commerce Media, said agentic transactions raise questions around consumer intent...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
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