The New Era of Shopping: What Is Agentic Commerce?

The world of e-commerce is entering a new phase where clicks are replaced by intent-driven flows.Known as Agentic Commerce, this approach transforms the shopping process into a system fully managed by autonomous AI agents.Customers no longer need to search, compare, or add items to their carts — their digital agents can complete these steps in seconds.

How Do Agents Work?

Agentic Commerce begins by understanding the shopper’s intent.For example, when a user says “buy an eco-friendly coffee machine with fast delivery,” the AI agent:

• scans multiple websites for options,

• compares prices and discounts,

• selects trusted sellers,

• completes payment and shipment tracking.

In other words, the entire shopping journey happens through a single command and a unified intent flow.The consumer is no longer navigating websites — their digital representative does it for them.

Why Is This Such a Big Transformation?

According to McKinsey, this model could generate up to $1 trillion in revenue in the U.S. retail market alone, and as much as $5 trillion globally.Deloitte estimates that by 2030, AI-powered commerce could influence up to 17% of total global trade.

This shift mirrors the early boom of mobile commerce — but it’s happening much faster.The new competition is not about who gets the most clicks, but about whose data is better understood by AI.

What Should Brands Do?

Staying visible no longer means simply attracting human shoppers.Brands now need to design their systems to be readable and understandable by AI agents.This requires a new way of thinking about optimization.

A roadmap for brands:

1. Structure product catalogs for agent readability.(semantic metadata, structured data, open APIs)

2. Provide real-time access to pricing, inventory, and delivery data.(API connections, standardized data formats)

3. Integrate loyalty and campaign systems with AI flows.(e.g., chatbot-based shopping or personalized recommendation systems)

4. Develop pilot scenarios to test agent experiences.(for example, AI-assisted customer journeys on Wix or Shopify)

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Retzking Insight: The Future Starts Now

Agentic Commerce isn’t just a technology trend — it’s redefining how brands build relationships with customers.In the near future, a brand’s audience won’t only consist of humans but also of their digital agents.That reality demands a new strategic mindset:

“Is my product page being visited by a human — or by an AI?”

Brands that can confidently answer “both” will lead this transformation.Because the future of commerce isn’t about searching, it’s about understanding.