Consumer Spending Through AI Agents To Hit $3.35 Trillion By 2030, According To WARC, PHD research.

Global consumer spending facilitated by artificial intelligence agents is projected to reach $3.35 trillion by 2030, according to new research by WARC and media agency PHD, highlighting the growing role of AI in shaping purchasing decisions and transforming marketing strategies.

The report, titled From Abundance to Agents: How the Delegation of Choice is Transforming Marketing, estimates that 3.8% of global consumer spending will be facilitated by AI agents by 2030, up from 1.3% or $944 billion in 2026.

The research suggests that while consumers will continue making most purchase decisions themselves over the next few years, AI agents will increasingly influence product discovery, recommendations, shortlisting and purchasing by handling repetitive and information-heavy tasks.

According to the report, the top 10 markets will account for 67.9% of global consumer agentic AI spending by 2030.

The United States is expected to remain the largest market, contributing $1.1 trillion or 31.9% of global spending. China is projected to account for $505.8 billion, representing 15.1% of the total, while the United Kingdom is expected to contribute $131.2 billion, equivalent to 3.9%.

The report introduces PHD’s Four Modes Framework, which outlines how brands and marketers should adapt as AI increasingly becomes part of the customer journey.

Under the Agent-to-Agent model, AI systems will independently manage routine and measurable transactions. Telecoms and utilities are forecast to record the highest growth, with AI-facilitated spending rising by 611.9% from $57.6 billion in 2026 to $410.3 billion by 2030. Financial services will grow by 235.3% to $237.9 billion, while travel and transport spending through AI agents is expected to increase from $78.1 billion to $275.6 billion over the same period.

In the Agent-to-Consumer category, AI is expected to play a stronger advisory role across sectors including food, retail, media, publishing, alcoholic drinks and soft drinks. Food-related AI spending is projected to rise by 274.8% to $292.8 billion, while media and publishing will increase by 401.8% to $367.8 billion.

The report notes that sectors such as automobiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare are likely to remain largely driven by direct brand-to-consumer engagement because of the high value, complexity and privacy considerations associated with those purchases.

Consumer-to-consumer influence will also remain important in categories such as fashion, cosmetics and personal care, where recommendations from creators, influencers and peers continue to shape buying decisions.

Rohan Tambyrajah, Worldwide Chief Strategy Officer at PHD, said the findings provide practical guidance for marketers navigating the shift toward AI-driven commerce.

“This research brings category-level empiricism to the industry conversation about consumer-facing and agentic AI. It underscores the need for brands to design for both human meaning and machine logic while providing marketers with a practical framework for implementation,” he said.

James McDonald, Director of Data, Intelligence and Forecasting at WARC and author of the report, said AI agents are already influencing consumer purchasing behaviour and will become deeply embedded over the coming years.

He said marketers must understand where AI will have the greatest impact across industries and markets to remain competitive as consumer decision-making increasingly involves machine intermediaries.

The research was developed using data from Acxiom and analysed factors including purchase frequency, transaction value, decision complexity, media mix, data availability and market regulation across 10 markets: Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The report concludes that brands preparing for the era of agentic AI will need strong machine-readable data, distinctive brand assets and a consistent brand story that resonates with both consumers and AI interfaces.