CNBC (Caleigh Keating, October 3, 2026) reports that SHOPPING has become one of Muse’s biggest USAGE drivers — a Meta spokesperson’s line that reframes the agent from Connect keynote into a live RETAIL funnel. The app sits at the TOP of Apple’s App Store free chart, Muse Charm is still stoking interest, and the checkout PATH is now concrete enough to document: browse, APPROVAL card, then pay through Link or Shop Pay.
After setup, Keating writes, a user asks Muse to FIND an item — brand, PRICE, and AVAILABILITY can all be specified. Muse BROWSES retail sites, surfaces listings inside the Muse app and website, then either opens the merchant page or keeps checkout INSIDE Muse. Choosing Muse checkout PREPS the order and shows an APPROVAL CARD with order DETAILS before anything CHARGES. Missing email, name, or address must be supplied first.
Payment runs through Meta’s PARTNERS. Link by Stripe generates a one-time virtual card so real card numbers stay HIDDEN, matching Meta’s own September 8 Muse announcement. Shop Pay is also on the path. PayPal has been ANNOUNCED as a Muse provider but is not available yet, CNBC notes. Mark Zuckerberg said at Connect that Meta will take a SMALL FEE on TRANSACTIONS over time — still without a published RATE.
Connectors are the other half of the story. Meta’s September 23 slate listed an “official fast lane” for retailers including Walmart, Gap, Sephora, Expedia, Wayfair, and Best Buy — not all ACTIVE yet. Ticketmaster is different: a company spokesperson told CNBC that final PURCHASES stay inside Ticketmaster’s own MARKETPLACE so fans keep CONTROL. Amazon has BLOCKED Muse, citing unauthorized agent ACCESS — coverage Metaverse Watcher tracked on September 22.
Trust questions sit beside the GROWTH claim. Morning Consult found 59% of U.S. adults called price-gouging a “major concern” with AI-driven DYNAMIC pricing. Instacart, a Muse partner, ended AI pricing tests late last year after PUSHBACK. Walmart CEO John Furner published an open letter last week saying Walmart does not use personal data for dynamic pricing on its site or shopping tools. University of Virginia’s Luca Cian told CNBC the fight is between companies over who owns the shopper RELATIONSHIP — “the consumer is the PRIZE.”
For Metaverse Watcher readers, the October 3 update is OPERATIONAL: shopping is already driving usage, connectors are NAMED, approval cards GATE spend, and a transaction fee is the MONETIZATION thesis. Glasses still wait for Muse to land ON-DEVICE. Until then, the live product is the phone agent — and the approval step is the control that MATTERS.
Sources: CNBC; Meta Newsroom — Introducing Muse; Metaverse Watcher — Amazon Blocks Muse.