One of the major online payment companies makes an acquisition to expand into sales through chatbots and AI platforms
E-commerce data analysis (photo source BiancoBlue, Dreamstime.com)
Global digital payments company PayPal will buy Cymbio, a platform designed to help merchants sell their products through chatbots and other e-commerce channels.
Cymbio will enable tens of millions of merchants to become visible on leading AI platforms such as Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity, PayPal says. Soon there will be connection with ChatGPT and Gemini as well.
“Cymbio will strengthen our commerce capabilities through AI agents and accelerate their expansion to more merchants. By making their product catalogs visible on AI channels, merchants can increase their sales and expand their offer to the millions of consumers who shop through AI platforms,” says PayPal.
The acquisition of Tel Aviv-based Cymbio could be initialed in the first half of this year.
The transaction is the latest step in PayPal's bid to become a one-stop shop for merchants looking to sell more through the chatbots that consumers increasingly turn to for product discovery.
In October, PayPal launched a suite of “agentic commerce” services designed to help merchants adapt to changes in consumer buying behavior, especially as the industry expects AI-assisted shopping to become more popular.
Founded in 2015, Cymbio automates online sales operations for brands, eliminates manual tasks when connecting retailers with marketplaces, and helps brands expand their presence on global online platforms.
Photo source: Dreamstime.com
