Tim Bridges, Global Sector Lead, Consumer Products and Retail, Capgemini.
Shopping will always be part of the human experience. But with the advent of AI agents—intelligent algorithms that can research, compare and purchase products on behalf of consumers—humans may not always be part of the shopping experience.
No longer just a recommendation engine, AI is becoming an active player in the commerce journey, proactively anticipating individual needs, identifying optimal products and factoring in key criteria like price, availability and delivery—with minimal human intervention.
While agentic AI is early on the adoption curve, consumer uptake on similar technologies suggests that AI assistants could fundamentally reshape shopping, which means retailers may need to rethink their digital strategies.
How Agentic AI Is Reshaping Shopping
AI assistants aren’t part of the everyday customer-facing shopping experience yet, but they could be soon as new tools like OpenAI’s Operator and Perplexity AI gain traction with consumers. These tools leverage a conversational text-based interface to understand queries, provide recommendations and even complete purchases using saved payment and delivery details.
In addition to independent AI tools, some retailers are developing and integrating their own customer-facing AI agents into the digital experience. For example, Walmart is experimenting with AI-enabled virtual assistants to recognize customers, analyze intent and act on their behalf.
With these tools, shopping is being reframed from human-led browsing and buying to brand-led problem solving. For example, instead of searching for individual grocery items, consumers can present specific needs—like “I want to plan four dairy-free weeknight meals for under $80”—and an AI agent will not only generate the order, but also complete the purchase and arrange delivery.
Removing Traditional Shopping Constraints
Even the most enthusiastic shopper has their limits: time, energy and mental capacity all constrain the shopping experience. On the other hand, an AI agent can scan, evaluate and recommend products across the entire web in seconds, returning a shortlist of options to the shopper that includes long-time favorites alongside unfamiliar names.
Challenging Loyalty
Access to a wider array of choice via an agentic tool raises an important point about loyalty.
While AI agents can be programmed to automatically repeat purchases under certain circumstances, they are also likely to create more choices among consumers. This could upend long-held brand loyalties if shoppers discover a product more tailored to their unique needs and preferences.
Unfortunately, this excess of choice could spell trouble for brands with weak loyalty scores. Our recent consumer research, What matters to today’s consumer, reveals that as many as 70% of consumers globally have reported switching brands simply as an experiment.
Differentiating The Brand Through Value-Based Issues
Finally, the advent of AI assistants could make brand differentiation around value-based attributes, such as sustainability, fair trade, social justice or equality, a more pronounced decision factor.
With the help of an AI agent, it will become easier to seek out these attributes within a prompt, allowing shoppers to discover products that meet their specifications for value-based preferences like materials, traceability, product origin or carbon footprint.
Considerations For Retailers And Brands To Get Ahead
While companies shouldn’t feed too much into the hype cycle of AI agents, they also can’t ignore them. With that in mind, here are a few considerations that brands and retailers can keep in mind to balance promise and practical reality:
Test agentic AI solutions in the back office. Agentic systems need not be customer-facing to have a profound effect on the customer experience. Behind the scenes, AI agents can optimize supply chain logistics, predict demand fluctuations and automate restocking processes. By improving operational precision, these systems indirectly enhance customer satisfaction through enhanced availability and clarity.
Differentiate through proprietary data. Retailers relying solely on widely available AI models risk losing their competitive edge. To stand out, retailers need to leverage proprietary data to make AI-driven experiences smarter, more relevant and more valuable to customers. By integrating unique insights—such as customer behavior, purchasing trends and personalized preferences—retailers can ensure their AI solutions deliver truly distinctive experiences.
Avoid the “uncanny valley.” Agentic AI is reshaping how people interact with technology, but its success depends on user adoption. If AI feels unnatural or intrusive, engagement will suffer. To drive meaningful adoption, organizations must prioritize AI that is not just intelligent but also intuitive, approachable and respectful of personal boundaries.
Lead with purpose. As AI agents become more integrated into the shopping experience, decisions will be made not just on the product itself but on the brand’s values. Commit to issues that matter to your customer and demonstrate impact in a meaningful way to stand out.
Seizing The Agentic AI Opportunity
The integration of agentic AI signals a deep shift in how consumers will interact with brands and retailers and what they expect from those interactions. As AI-powered agents take on a bigger role in the shopper journey, organizations must rethink their digital strategies to continue to deliver seamless, engaging and relevant experiences no matter who—or what—the shopper is.
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