{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/69f3e0f28beeba531023e35c/6ae4ee1dc89efe5866189cca?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Week of October 5 2026","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/69f3e0f28beeba531023e35c/1793388013980-549872e9-86cb-4dbb-a721-da9967013122.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Last month the company that owns Facebook shipped a free assistant that doesn&#39;t just answer questions — it opens a browser, fills in the form, and pays. Amazon blocked it. Shopify opened the door on every store it runs. And the small store on Main Street? Nobody asked. If you run trucks instead of an online store, here&#39;s your version: Google has a robot that calls local businesses for the customer, and in May it said home repair is joining the list. The robot isn&#39;t going to buy the furnace. It&#39;s going to decide which shops get a seat at the kitchen table.</p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>The robot got a wallet — and nobody asked the store.</strong> A new phone assistant can shop and check out, with close to three million installs in twelve days by one outside estimate. Amazon said no, Shopify said yes, and a payment company built a one-time card number so a store that set up nothing can still be bought from. The catch for you: the robot acts on whatever your website says, stale or not.</li><li><strong>People will let the robot shop. They won&#39;t let it pay for the big stuff.</strong> Visa&#39;s poll: about seven in ten Americans have used an AI assistant; fewer than one in four trust it to handle a payment. The man who built the Apple Stores on a robot buying a $2,000 laptop: &quot;Honestly, nobody&#39;s going to do that.&quot; The big sale is safe — but the <strong>short list</strong> of who gets invited to quote just got shorter.</li><li><strong>Google&#39;s robot will call your shop for the homeowner.</strong> Straight from Google&#39;s help page: it &quot;might contact your business on their behalf through an automated phone call&quot; to book appointments and confirm price and availability. Free, recorded, picked by local ranking, opt-out in your Business Profile, not available in five states. Don&#39;t turn it off. Be the shop that answers with a number.</li><li><strong>Spotlight — Goodcall vs. PATLive:</strong> two ways to answer the call your people can&#39;t. The <strong>robot</strong> (Goodcall — $79/mo, priced by unique caller, not by the minute) vs. the <strong>human</strong> (PATLive — U.S. receptionists, $189 for 100 minutes, or $49 + $2.99/min). Which for which shop, when to ask your field software first, and when to skip both and pay your on-call tech.</li><li><strong>The Operator&#39;s Move (tool-free):</strong> <em>&quot;Write the one-page answer sheet a robot would need.&quot;</em> Ten questions every caller asks, one true answer each — then call your own shop at 6:15 and see if you get the same ones.</li></ul><p><strong>🔗 Show Notes &amp; Sources</strong></p><p><strong>Story 1 — The robot got a wallet</strong></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.geekwire.com/2026/amazon-blocks-metas-muse-ai-assistant-in-new-standoff-over-agentic-shopping/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">GeekWire — &quot;Amazon blocks Meta&#39;s Muse AI assistant in new standoff over agentic shopping&quot;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/21/metas-muse-is-outpacing-chatgpts-early-mobile-launch/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">TechCrunch — &quot;Meta&#39;s Muse is outpacing ChatGPT&#39;s early mobile launch&quot;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.pymnts.com/commerce/ecommerce/2026/shopify-brings-shop-pay-checkout-solution-to-metas-muse-ai-agent/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">PYMNTS — &quot;Shopify Brings Shop Pay Checkout Solution to Meta&#39;s Muse AI Agent&quot;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/28/shopify-opens-checkout-to-browser-based-ai-agents/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">TechCrunch — &quot;Shopify opens checkout to browser-based AI agents&quot;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://stripe.com/newsroom/news/stripe-helps-meta-muse-shop-with-link\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Stripe — single-use virtual card for businesses that don&#39;t accept Link</a></li></ul><p><strong>Story 2 — The trust gap</strong></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/new-visa-research-finds-consumer-trust-accelerating-path-agentic-commerce-2026-09-09\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Visa — &quot;New Visa Research Finds Consumer Trust is Accelerating the Path to Agentic Commerce&quot;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/21/the-man-who-built-apples-stores-doesnt-buy-silicon-valleys-bet-on-ai-shopping/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">TechCrunch — &quot;The man who built Apple&#39;s stores doesn&#39;t buy Silicon Valley&#39;s bet on AI shopping&quot;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260923900333/consumers-expect-ai-to-make-15-of-their-purchases-within-five-years-global-payments-research-finds\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Global Payments — &quot;Consumers Expect AI to Make 15% of Their Purchases Within Five Years&quot;</a></li></ul><p><strong>Story 3 — Google calls your shop</strong></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://support.google.com/business/answer/7690269?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Google Business Profile Help — &quot;About automated calls and texts from Google to your business&quot;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Google — &quot;Google Search&#39;s I/O 2026 updates: AI agents and more&quot;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-search-can-now-call-local-businesses-using-ai/551294/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Search Engine Journal — &quot;Google Search Can Now Call Local Businesses Using AI&quot;</a></li></ul><p><strong>Spotlight — Goodcall vs. PATLive</strong></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.goodcall.com/pricing\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Goodcall — Pricing</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.patlive.com/pricing/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">PATLive — Pricing</a></li></ul>","author_name":"Shaun Gehring"}