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AI & Technology

Amazon vs Perplexity Comet

Antoine

3/21/2026

5 min

Summarize with AI

CEO at Nova Analytics

Antoine founded Nova Analytics to empower Amazon sellers with enterprise-grade analytics. He specializes in data architecture and building scalable solutions for e-commerce businesses.

Quick Summary

Amazon won a federal injunction blocking Perplexity's Comet AI shopping agent on March 9. The 9th Circuit stayed the order on March 16, letting Comet resume
This is the first major court case over whether AI agents can bypass marketplace interfaces to shop on behalf of consumers
Amazon is defending its $56B ad business. If AI agents bypass search, they bypass Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands entirely
Walmart is taking the opposite approach, partnering with ChatGPT and Gemini to let AI agents surface Walmart products
Sellers should audit product data completeness, maximize reviews, and consider Walmart as a hedge against AI discovery shifts

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March 21, 2026: Amazon won a federal injunction blocking Perplexity's Comet AI shopping agent on March 9. The 9th Circuit stayed the order on March 16. This is the first major court battle over who controls AI agents in e-commerce, and every Amazon seller needs to understand what it means for product discovery. Anything that touches fees, returns, or fulfillment ends up in our weekly cohort review, and this update qualifies. Anything that touches fees, returns, or fulfillment ends up in our weekly cohort review, and this update qualifies.

What's Happening

Perplexity AI launched Comet in February 2026, a browser that lets users search for products using natural language. Instead of browsing Amazon's search results, Comet's AI agent scrapes product data, compares options, and completes purchases on behalf of the user. Amazon sued within weeks, calling it "unauthorized data scraping and automated purchasing."

On March 9, a federal judge in the Western District of Washington granted Amazon a temporary restraining order, blocking Comet from accessing Amazon.com. But on March 16, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an emergency stay, letting Comet resume operations while the full case proceeds. The legal battle could take 12 to 18 months to resolve.

This isn't just a lawsuit. It's a precedent-setting fight over whether AI agents can bypass traditional marketplace interfaces to shop on behalf of consumers. The outcome will reshape how products get discovered and purchased on every major platform.

Timeline of Events

Date	Event	Impact
Feb 2026	Perplexity launches Comet browser	AI agent shops Amazon on behalf of users
Feb 20, 2026	Amazon files lawsuit in W.D. Washington	Claims CFAA violation, trademark infringement
Mar 9, 2026	Federal judge grants TRO blocking Comet	Comet temporarily banned from Amazon.com
Mar 16, 2026	9th Circuit stays the injunction	Comet resumes operations pending full trial
Q4 2026+	Full trial expected	Precedent for all AI commerce agents

What is Agentic Commerce

Agentic commerce is the idea that AI agents, not humans, will make purchase decisions. Instead of a shopper typing "running shoes" into Amazon's search bar, they tell an AI agent "find me the best running shoes for flat feet under $120" and the agent handles the rest: searching, comparing reviews, checking prices, and buying.

This matters because it changes who controls the product discovery Funnel. Today, Amazon controls how products appear in search results. If AI agents handle shopping, those agents control visibility instead. Your PPC campaigns, A+ Content, and listing optimization might not matter if the AI agent never shows your product to the user.

Why This Matters for Sellers

If agentic commerce scales, organic ranking and sponsored ads become less important. AI agents will optimize for price, reviews, and data signals that may not align with how you've optimized your listings. Your profit margins could shift as AI agents push buyers toward the cheapest option.

Amazon's Walled Garden vs Open Ecosystem

Amazon and Walmart are taking opposite approaches to AI shopping agents. This divergence will define the next era of marketplace competition.

Dimension	Amazon	Walmart
AI Agent Access	Blocked. Suing Perplexity Comet	Open. Partnering with ChatGPT, Gemini
Data Sharing	Closed. SP-API only for authorized devs	Open product feeds for AI aggregators
Own AI Strategy	Rufus (internal, exclusive)	Wallaby (internal) + external AI welcome
Seller Impact	Discovery stays within Amazon ecosystem	Products discoverable via any AI agent
Strategic Bet	Control the entire shopping journey	Win on selection and fulfillment speed

Amazon's approach protects its ad revenue model. If external AI agents bypass Amazon's search, they bypass Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands entirely. Amazon Ads generated $56B in 2025. That's what Amazon is really defending.

Walmart's bet is different. By letting ChatGPT and Google Gemini surface Walmart products, they get free distribution through channels that Amazon is blocking. For sellers on both platforms, this creates a diverging analytics landscape that requires tracking performance across very different discovery models.

Impact on Amazon Sellers

Amazon Ad Revenue at Stake

$56B

2025 Amazon Ads revenue (source: Amazon Q4 earnings)

Monthly Active Comet Users

~2M

Estimated before injunction (source: Adweek)

Case Duration Estimate

12-18 mo

Full trial timeline per 9th Circuit schedule

Short-Term: Business as Usual

While the case plays out, Amazon's search and advertising ecosystem Stays intact. Keep investing in your PPC strategy, listing optimization, and A/B testing. The injunction stay means Comet is operational but hasn't reached critical mass yet.

Medium-Term: Prepare for AI Discovery

If Perplexity wins (or settles), other AI agents will follow. Your product data, reviews, and pricing need to be optimized for machine readability, not just human browsing. Start tracking how product performance Correlates with data completeness: fill every backend keyword field, maximize review volume, and keep pricing competitive.

Long-Term: Multi-Channel AI Strategy

If agentic commerce becomes mainstream, sellers who are discoverable across multiple AI agents will win. Consider expanding to Walmart (which is AI-friendly) and optimizing your daily analytics to track which channels AI agents are driving traffic from.

What You Should Do Now

1.
Audit Your Product Data Completeness
AI agents rely on structured data. Fill every backend keyword, bullet point, and attribute field in Seller Central. Use your analytics dashboard to identify listings with missing data fields.
2.
Double Down on Reviews
AI shopping agents weight review volume and sentiment heavily. Enroll in Amazon Vine, use the "Request a Review" button, and monitor review trends in your seller dashboard.
3.
Test Walmart as a Hedge
Walmart's open AI strategy means your products could get discovered through ChatGPT and Gemini. If you're Amazon-only, start testing Walmart Fulfillment Services. Track cross-platform profitability with P&L analytics.
4.
Monitor the Case
The 9th Circuit ruling will set precedent for all AI commerce. Follow Reuters AI coverage for updates. If Amazon loses, expect a wave of AI shopping agents within 6 months.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this topic

Amazon sued Perplexity AI over its Comet browser, which uses AI agents to scrape Amazon product data, compare options, and complete purchases on behalf of users. Amazon claims this violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and constitutes unauthorized data scraping and automated purchasing.

Agentic commerce is when AI agents make purchase decisions on behalf of consumers. Instead of browsing Amazon search results, a user tells an AI agent what they want, and the agent handles searching, comparing, and buying. This shifts control of product discovery from marketplace algorithms to AI agents.

Short-term, Amazon's search and advertising ecosystem stays intact. Long-term, if Perplexity wins or settles, it opens the door for AI agents to bypass Amazon's search entirely, potentially reducing the value of PPC advertising and organic ranking. Sellers should prepare by optimizing product data for machine readability.

Unlike Amazon, Walmart is partnering with ChatGPT and Google Gemini to let AI agents surface Walmart products. This open approach gives Walmart free distribution through AI channels that Amazon is blocking. For sellers on both platforms, this creates very different discovery dynamics.

Verified Sources

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