AI assistants are beginning to influence what consumers discover, compare and buy.
As agentic commerce develops, retailers must make their products visible to AI without losing control of the customer relationship
AI is becoming a new gateway to retail, changing where consumers discover products, compare options and, increasingly, make purchasing decisions. Instead of moving between search engines, marketplaces and retailer websites, shoppers can describe what they want to an AI assistant and receive recommendations based on their needs, budget and preferences. In some cases, they can move from that conversation towards checkout without leaving the AI platform.
This is the emerging world of agentic commerce: AI systems that can understand a shopper’s intent, research options, make recommendations and, with the customer’s permission, take actions on their behalf. Fully autonomous shopping remains at an early stage. But AI-mediated product discovery and comparison are already changing the route consumers can take towards a purchase.