The Debenhams Group is currently piloting agentic AI in e-commerce by integrating a conversational AI shopping and checkout feature directly into the PayPal app. The goal is to reduce mobile checkout abandonment and streamline the purchase process. Shoppers can now use natural language commands to find products from Debenhams’ brands, such as boohoo, Karen Millen, and PrettyLittleThing, without needing to search by keywords.
The AI assistant personalizes recommendations based on user preferences, asks follow-up questions, and allows transactions to be completed directly in the chat using saved PayPal credentials. The pilot, developed in partnership with PayPal, initially launches with select users in the U.S. and is planned to expand later this year to broader audiences in the U.S. and U.K.