Meta's Muse: Big Claims, Tiny Real-World Impact

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says over 10 million people in the US and Canada have activated Muse, its agentic AI shopping tool, with more than a quarter using it for purchases—above the company's own expectations. Average transaction values reportedly exceed $200. Wall Street has been anxious: analysts fear agents like Muse will erode brand loyalty, spark price wars, and compress margins across retail, travel, and services.

The actual corporate data tells a different story. Across roughly 50 earnings calls, executives reported negligible agent-driven activity. DoorDash put its Muse-originated orders in the 'hundreds.' T-Mobile said it had seen 'nothing of significance.' Hilton called agent bookings 'insignificant.' Ally Financial reported activity as 'quite low'; eBay called it 'very, very small.' Life Time Group reported 'zero' agent-driven subscription cancellations. India's Eternal estimated agentic commerce at 'close to zero.'

The gap between Meta's usage figures and retailer data raises an obvious question: where are Muse users actually spending? Meta pointed to partnerships with 10 retailers—Walmart, Best Buy, Gap among them—but many haven't yet reported earnings since Muse launched.

Still, some companies aren't waiting. Chipotle's chief digital officer said Muse's debut lifted agentic orders by a single-digit percentage, but exposed checkout failures tied to loyalty discounts and after-hours ordering. The chain is now cleaning up its website code accordingly. Costco and Extra Space Storage report surging AI-chatbot-driven sales via Gemini and ChatGPT, and plan to optimize for agents too.