Cashfree introduces Checkout for Agents, allowing AI agents to process payments through a standardized interface
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Business Standard
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Cashfree introduces Checkout for Agents, allowing AI agents to process payments through a standardized interface

The payment technology company Cashfree has launched the Checkout for Agents feature, which enables artificial intelligence (AI) agents to interact with its checkout pages. This feature utilizes WebMCP to facilitate the navigation of payment agents, helping complete purchases upon final user approval.

As AI agents increasingly make purchases on behalf of users, Cashfree has implemented this capability. Instead of requiring agents to read and click on a human-designed page, the new feature allows them to interact with the checkout process through a set of predefined actions.

The firm announced the rollout of this feature for all its merchants, requiring no new integrations or engineering work from the merchants to use this tool.

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This step is driven by the growing demand for personal AI agents, such as Instinct and Grok Bot, which are rapidly gaining popularity in India and globally, performing tasks ranging from travel booking to grocery ordering.

The functionality is built on WebMCP—a web standard proposed by Google and Microsoft engineers earlier this year. This standard allows websites to inform AI agents about the actions they can perform on a given page.

Cashfree notes that WebMCP can reduce token consumption—the computational units billed to AI models—by over 40 percent. Without this standard, an agent must manually navigate a human-intended page to determine the order total and select a payment method, doing so step by step.

Ridhu Datta, co-founder of Cashfree, stated: 'We spoke with over 50 founders developing AI agents, and implementing WebMCP into our checkout was the most obvious way to solve this problem for every Cashfree merchant simultaneously without forcing them to change their integration.'

The company emphasized that this feature will allow agents to reach payments in fewer steps, reducing the likelihood of freezing or entering incorrect data. Furthermore, the final payment always requires client approval.

Every step taken by an agent consumes tokens, and additional steps can quickly exhaust usage limits. Since some personal agents are free or offer free tiers, while others charge, often proportional to consumed tokens, as more agents transition to paid plans, Cashfree expects the cost per task to be reflected in user payments, and a checkout requiring fewer tokens will make each agent-managed purchase more affordable.

Additionally, the company reported that orders coming through an agent are more likely to be completed at the payment stage and less likely to be abandoned.

Cashfree's Checkout for Agents also provides merchants with clearer insight into who is making the payment. When an agent uses Cashfree's WebMCP tools, the browser flags these actions as originating from the agent, allowing merchants to distinguish between payments made via an agent and direct customer payments.

The feature also provides agents with a defined path for payment through the regulated payment aggregator's checkout, contributing to the security of payments made by agents as their usage expands.

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Pick n Pay implements AI-based platform to speed up online orders
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Pick n Pay implements AI-based platform to speed up online orders

Pick n Pay is beginning the implementation of an artificial intelligence-based operational platform developed by the Canadian company OrderGrid in over 720 stores. This step followed a pilot project that allowed for a reduction of the average time employees spend picking online orders by approximately 30%.

This platform is designed to support the retailer's asap! online product service. It covers real-time inventory management, demand forecasting, order management, and in-store task control. The goal of the implementation is to help staff reduce out-of-stock incidents, identify empty shelves, and fulfill online orders more quickly.

Previously, Pick n Pay had already used computer vision to detect empty shelves and machine learning for planning picking routes. The retailer stated that this deployment marks the final stage of a two-year update to its technology platform. The company did not disclose how many stores participated in the pilot project, nor did it provide information on the cost of the deal with Toronto-based OrderGrid.

Enrico Ferigolli, Pick n Pay's Head of Omnichannel Retail, noted that using OrderGrid's tools will help teams pick online orders more efficiently, especially when dealing with large baskets.

He also reported that Pick n Pay's online sales increased by 35.4% over 26 weeks ending August 30th, although the group does not disclose its total business volume. Ferigolli added that the growth in online sales this year exceeds last year's figures.

This year, the retailer added several new features to the asap! app, including Penny—an AI shopping assistant that helps customers find products and build baskets using text, voice, and images. Last week, Smart Shopper Pro was launched—a subscription costing 99 Rand per month, which replaces the Checkers’ Xtra Savings Plus program.

Itaú launches new payment tool that allows completing online purchases within the bank's application
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olhardigital.com.br

Itaú launches new payment tool that allows completing online purchases within the bank's application

Itaú Unibanco introduced a new payment solution for e-commerce last Friday (the 30th). This feature allows customers to finalize their purchases from partner virtual stores directly through the banking application, unifying financial services, security authentication mechanisms, and credit analysis in one place.

Technologically, the tool aims to solve frequent challenges that negatively impact sales on virtual platforms. The system consolidates customer data, authentication, fraud prevention, and credit offers into a single payment experience, which results in a decrease in transaction rejections.

Angelo Russomanno, Director of Receipts and Acquiring at Itaú Unibanco, explained in a press release the context that drove the creation of this technological platform for the digital market. He pointed out that the checkout process is a critical moment where e-commerce frequently loses sales, either due to rejection because of suspected fraud or lack of limit, data entry errors, or excessively long journeys.

For the consumer, this technology eliminates the need to enter card numbers or security codes on virtual store pages. By choosing Itaú Pay among the available payment options at checkout, the user completes the purchase within the bank's own application, being able to opt to use account balance or credit methods.

The interface presents the financial conditions and the total amount before order confirmation. Furthermore, the system offers eligible customers extended installment options, additional purchase limits, and the possibility of paying using accumulated points from the program.

Companies that implement this novelty should observe an increase in sales efficiency, according to calculations presented by the bank. The financial institution estimates that the technology has the potential to raise the transaction approval rate by up to ten percentage points, minimizing losses caused by fraud and payment rejections. Russomanno emphasized that Itaú Pay represents an integration that unites the bank's relationship with individual and corporate clients, the operation of the Network in payments, and the offering of credit and risk management.

Another goal of the bank is for differentiated payment conditions to encourage higher-value purchases. The institution predicts that extended installment options can increase the average acquisition value by up to fifty percent.

The infrastructure used is based on the payment structure of Rede, an acquiring company belonging to the Itaú group. The Decolar travel platform was the first to incorporate the system, which is already accessible to the company's customers.

The expansion of this service will be carried out gradually in the coming weeks. Companies such as Raia Drogasil, Localiza, Zig, and EBANX are already included in the official schedule to make the modality available to their respective customers in the digital environment.

Pick n Pay launches paid Smart Shopper Pro subscription at R99 in competition with Checkers
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techcentral.co.za

Pick n Pay launches paid Smart Shopper Pro subscription at R99 in competition with Checkers

Pick n Pay has introduced a paid tier for its Smart Shopper loyalty program, which will cost R99 per month. This price matches the cost offered by Shoprite for Xtra Savings Plus, the paid version of the Checkers and Shoprite loyalty program.

Smart Shopper Pro Program Details

The new program, named Smart Shopper Pro, was announced on Thursday. It offers participants unlimited free delivery of orders via asap! over R350, triple points on fresh produce, double points on BP fuel, and an additional 10% discount on in-store purchases, limited to R200 monthly. Customers can register through the asap! app. The basic Smart Shopper program remains free.

The set price of R99 is introductory, and at the time of the announcement on Friday, it was not specified whether the Pro cost would change in the future or when the promotional price would end.

It should be noted that the 10% discount has certain limitations: Pick n Pay states that it applies to maximum spending of R2,000 within a single purchase, implying a limit on the discount per store visit, rather than total store expenditure.

The terms of this program are largely similar to the offerings of Checkers Xtra Savings Plus, which Shoprite introduced in 2023. It includes unlimited free Sixty60 delivery on orders over R350 and a 10% discount on one in-store purchase per month, up to R200.

Pick n Pay claims that customers who frequently use online shopping can recoup the subscription fee just from the delivery costs. Company representatives noted: 'For customers who order groceries online weekly, four deliveries a month will cost R148 for delivery alone.'

Vince Viviers, Head of Innovation and Digital Transformation at Pick n Pay, stated that 'customers are increasingly looking for practical ways to make their money go further.'

Competition with Sixty60

The Pro program integrates with the free Live Well club within Smart Shopper. Members of both programs can earn six times more standard points when purchasing certain items such as fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and chicken. New users who subscribe before November 30th will receive a R99 discount on their next asap! order.

This launch occurred a few days after Pick n Pay reported a 35.4% increase in its online sales over the six months ending August 30th. This figure aligns with the 34.5% growth in Sixty60 reported by Shoprite for the year ending in June. However, Pick n Pay did not disclose specific financial data about its online business. It is worth noting that Sixty60's revenue reached R25.5 billion.

Shoprite uses its own Xtra Savings Plus tier at R99 to retain loyal customers. Initially, the AI shopping assistant Pixie was only available to paid subscribers.

Now both retailers face a cheaper competitor—Amazon Prime, which launched in South Africa in June. It costs R59 per month and includes free delivery as well as Prime Video streaming.

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