But what if you only paid after real results?
AI agents and dynamic tracking now make it possible to run performance-based campaigns that charge only when a deal is completed — a real outcome, not attention.
If that becomes the standard, would CPC, CPM, or influencer budgets even make sense anymore?
Nice idea. How would you implement it?
The only way I can see is if the store and the advertising medium were one and the same --- in other words Amazon, WalMart, etc.
Historically, the only players who could close that loop were platforms that controlled both traffic and checkout (like Amazon or Walmart).
What’s changing now is that AI + transaction-level APIs can bridge any store and any media source — without them needing to be the same company.
So instead of paying per click, the ad network verifies actual purchases in real time.
It turns the internet into a universal performance marketplace — no more guessing, just verified outcomes.
With CPA, the advertiser defines the “action” — click, signup, purchase — but not whether the buyer actually got a fair deal.
The next step is AI verifying value on both sides. That’s where it stops being “cost per acquisition” and starts being “cost per trust.”
But the concept’s very real: if AI can negotiate trades, verify outcomes, and handle trust autonomously, it changes how value moves online.
(And yes, a human typed this. Probably.)
Or do you think “pay-per-sale” can only ever work when one platform owns both the store and the ad network?
The advertiser sets a sale commission, and the network only charges when the deal closes.
It flips the ad economy from speculative to performance-driven = less guessing, more fairness.
Festro•3mo ago
Sales/conversion metrics have been around for decades in ad systems, it's been technically possible to charge per sale but noone has done it. Simply because the sale takes place outside of the platforms control. Ad costs will remain on a per click basis at best.
And your title is misleading, you state costs will move to when deals are completed, which is very different to it being "now free".
moseg•3mo ago
Instead of paying for clicks that might not convert, you only pay when a sale actually happens.
It’s not free media — it’s risk-free advertising.
moseg•3mo ago
The real shift is trust: historically ad platforms couldn’t verify what happened after a click. With AI agents on both sides, that changes.
When systems can confirm outcomes in real time, paying per sale stops being a dream — it becomes inevitable.