A Look Into the Future: Selling to a Thermostat in 2026

A practical guide to how the market for services is growing

Your smoke detector is about to become a better salesperson than you.

And before you dismiss this as sci-fi nonsense, consider this: 700 million people are already asking ChatGPT for help every week. 14.7 million of them are shopping for products and services. By 2026, those same people won't even be involved in the purchase decision—their smart devices will handle it for them.

And if you don't believe me, plumbers are asking stuff like this in Reddit everyday - https://www.reddit.com/r/askaplumber/comments/1kou0z3/chatgpt_plumbing_answers/

A few weeks ago, I showed you how AI is already choosing which businesses to recommend. This week? We need to talk about what happens when AI stops recommending and starts purchasing.

How do I know we're already here?

Let me show you something you're probably already doing without realizing it.

Ever set a price alert for a flight? You pick where you want to go, set your price range, choose your dates. When the price drops, you get a notification. You're the agent here—you jump on the deal before it disappears.

Now imagine taking yourself out of that equation. You give an AI agent your credit card and the authority to book when the price hits your target. No notification needed. No chance of missing the deal. The purchase just... happens.

That's not the future. That's next quarter.

While you're reading this, Amazon is investing $4 billion in Anthropic. Google, Microsoft, and Meta are pouring billions more into agent technology. They're not betting on the future—they're building it.

The pattern is already clear: Monitor → Alert → Recommend → Purchase → Repeat

We're somewhere between Alert and Recommend right now. By 2026, Purchase will be the default.

What is an 'Agent' anyway?

Think of an agent as an AI assistant that can actually DO things, not just answer questions. It's software that acts on your behalf—or on behalf of your smart devices.

Here's what that looks like in practice:

The Mold Prevention Agent: Your smart thermostat detects humidity levels indicating possible mold growth. Instead of just alerting you, it contacts three mold inspection services, compares availability and pricing, and books an appointment with the highest-rated one that can come this week.

The Battery Butler: Your smoke detector is running low. But instead of that 3 AM chirping that makes you want to tear it off the ceiling, an agent has already ordered the right battery from Amazon. It'll arrive tomorrow. You never even knew there was a problem.

Each of these scenarios is a service call that happens WITHOUT human intervention. No Google search. No asking friends for recommendations. No comparing quotes. The agent decides who to call based on who it trusts.

Here's the kicker: Agents don't just comparison-shop. They execute.

Types of Purchases (And How AI Will Change Them)

Not every purchase will be automated equally. Let's break down what's coming:

Impulse Buy → Automated Maintenance

Today: You notice your water heater isn't working quite right

Tomorrow: Smart water heater detects 15% efficiency drop, agent schedules maintenance

Impact for you: High-margin preventive maintenance becomes automatic. No selling required.

Research Purchase → Trust-Based Selection

Today: Homeowner spends hours researching HVAC companies online

Tomorrow: Agent evaluates efficiency metrics, determines replacement needed, selects vendor based on trust signals

Impact for you: The agent pre-qualifies YOU, not the other way around. Either you're trusted or you're invisible.

Best Price → Value Optimization

Today: Customer calls three companies for quotes

Tomorrow: Agent already knows pricing from all vendors, books based on value algorithm

Impact for you: Price transparency forces value differentiation. "We're the cheapest" stops working when agents can verify that in milliseconds.

Doomsday or Opportunity?(Spoiler: It's Opportunity)

Here's what the doomsayers miss: Agents mean MORE business, not less.

Think about it. Right now, how many problems in a home go unnoticed or ignored? A slightly inefficient HVAC system. Minor water pressure issues. Gradual electrical degradation. People don't call for service until something breaks.

Agents change that completely.

• Average smart home by 2026: 20-30 connected devices
• Each device: 2-3 service triggers annually
• Math: 60-90 additional service opportunities per household

Smart devices are creating attentive homeowners by proxy. They catch problems early. They schedule preventive maintenance. They identify issues humans would never notice.

The question isn't whether there will be enough work. It's whether agents will know to call YOU.

How Big Will This Actually Be?

In 1991, Geoffrey Moore discovered a trend in how people discover and adopt new technologies and wrote his, now famous, book Crossing the Chasm. We're a long way from 1991, but the trend still holds.

We're just beginning the Early Majority phase. The iPhone moment for agents hasn't happened yet, but it's coming fast. Generally most people recognize that AI will play a significant role in their life (even if they don't know quite how).

The Wall Street Journal just reported that sorority girls are making $10,000 to $200,000 promoting brands on TikTok during rush week. The next generation of homeowners isn't finding businesses through Google—they're finding them through AI and social media. And soon, they won't even do that. Their homes will do it for them.

In September 202, the National Bureau of Economic Research published an extensive research paper titled How People Use ChatGPT that illustrates just how big this market is already and where it's headed.

Key Takeaways:

• 700 million people use ChatGPT weekly right now
• That's 10% of the global population
• 2.1%, or 14,700,000 of them, are shopping for a product or service this week
• Conservatively, each person will have 3-10 agents acting on their behalf in a year
• Each agent will make multiple purchase decisions monthly
• Total: Billions of automated transactions

You competition isn't other service providers. It's invisibility to the agent economy.

What's holding us back?

Sounds amazing, right? So why isn't everyone already doing this?

One word: Trust.

Agents with purchasing power need:

• Verified business information (Are you who you say you are?)
• Structured, readable data (Can agents understand what you offer?)
• Real-time availability (Can they book you without human intervention?)
• Transparent pricing (Can they make value calculations?)
• Digital credentials (Are you licensed, insured, certified?)

Every day you don't have these, agents are learning to trust someone else. And once an agent trusts a vendor, switching costs are high. First mover advantage is real.

Your Three-Step Action Plan

This isn't about waiting for 2026. It's about positioning yourself now while your competitors are still thinking "this won't affect me."

Step 1: Get Machine-Readable (Do This Today)

• Add structured data to your website
• Ensure consistent Name, Address, Phone everywhere online
• Display digital credentials prominently
• Define your service area clearly

This is table stakes. If agents can't read your information, you don't exist.

Step 2: Build Trust Signals (Next 90 Days)

• Create API-ready pricing information
• Set up real-time scheduling / ordering capability
• Develop digital warranties/guarantees
• Publish response time commitments
• Get happy customers to leave reviews

This is what separates visible from viable. Agents need to trust you'll deliver.

Step 3: Become Agent-Preferred (Next 6-12 Months)

• Partner with smart home platforms
• Launch predictive maintenance programs
• Build automated quote systems
• Join preferred vendor networks

This is where you become the default choice. When an agent needs your type of service, you're first in line.

The Clock Is Ticking

By 2026, this won't be optional. Agents will be placing billions in service orders. The businesses that prepare now become the default choice. Those that wait become invisible.

Remember: Agents don't browse. They don't compare. They choose based on trust and availability.

When that thermostat detects a problem, it's either calling you or your competitor. There is no option three.

The good news? You're reading this in 2025, not 2027. You have time to prepare—but not time to waste. While your competitors are still figuring out regular SEO, you can be optimizing for the agent economy.

This is your chance to be the obvious choice when machines start making purchasing decisions. Because make no mistake—they will be making those decisions. The only question is whether they'll know you exist.

Do you know if you're invisible? Take our free AEO audit to see how visible you are to AI right now. Because in the agent economy, invisible means irrelevant.