Agentic commerce: the death of marketing?

The rise of agentic commerce: reshaping retail and consumer behaviour

Retail is on the edge of a major shift. Autonomous AI agents will soon change how we shop. These tools are moving beyond suggestions. They will find what you need, negotiate prices and make purchases for you.

The advent of this technology will change how brands market themselves. Brand loyalty and storytelling have long shaped buying behaviour. However, AI agents don’t care about stories. They focus on facts, logic and data.

1. The end of traditional consumer marketing?

Brands have always used emotion to connect with people. Advertising and benefit loaded messages have built loyalty. AI agents do not respond to emotion. They assess product features, compare prices and analyse reviews.

Why this matters:

• Agents ignore impulse triggers and marketing messages.
• If a product is hard to find, or poorly described, it may be ignored.
• Brands that rely on human habits risk becoming invisible to machines.

New rules:

• Decisions are based on data, not design.
• Trust comes from reviews, quality and availability.
• Machines will shop logically, not emotionally.

2. Solving choice paralysis

Too much choice confuses people. It can lead to delays, stress or no purchase at all. Agents can fix this.

How they help:

• They handle routine shopping.
• They make quick, fact-based decisions.
• Consumers only need to set preferences. The agent will do the rest.

This will shorten the buying journey. Shoppers will focus on what they want. Agents will handle the details.

Growing acceptance
Younger shoppers and people who are open to new technology will be in the vanguard.

3. A new competitive landscape

Retailers are no longer just competing for people’s attention. They are now competing for the attention of machines.

What this means:

• Big ad budgets may not help.
• Products and services must be easy for agents to find and evaluate.
• The winners will be enterprises with clean data and clear value.

Retailers must:

• Use structured data to describe products.
• Offer real-time updates on price and availability.
• Provide open access via APIs.
• Maintain accurate inventory data.
• Work across departments to deliver a consistent message.

This is not just a job for the marketing team. Product, data and digital teams must work together.

4. Changes to the market

As agentic commerce grows, the market itself will shift.

What to expect:

• Price wars: Agents will find the best deals fast. Retailers may need to drop their prices in order to stay competitive.
• Level playing field: Smaller retailers can now compete, as data becomes the key issue.
• New business models: Subscription-based shopping agents will probably emerge. These would manage regular purchases automatically.
• Media attention: Coverage of this trend is likely as companies experiment with AI agents.

5. Risks and safeguards

AI agents offer speed and simplicity. However, they also bring risks.

Potential problems:

• Fraudulent transactions.
• Market distortion.
• Over-reliance on a few dominant agents.
• A loss of diversity in available products.

Safeguards must include:

• Strong user authentication.
• Encrypted data transfers.
• Real-time threat detection.
• A healthy, competitive ecosystem with multiple agents.

Without these, the market could become vulnerable and less innovative.

6. The human element

Technology is only part of the story. Agentic commerce will only succeed if people trust it.

What businesses must do:

• Start learning now.
• Review how products are described and delivered online.
• Ensure data is accurate and easy to access.
• Adapt to machine-led decision-making.

What consumers can do:

• Get clearer about what matters to them.
• Guide agents with their values and preferences.
• Stay informed as this story evolves.

Conclusion

Agentic commerce is not just a trend. It marks a shift in how shopping works. AI agents are already making decisions. Retailers must now appeal to machines as well as humans.

Those who adapt will find new opportunities. Those who delay may be left behind. The time to prepare for agentic commerce is now.

Sources

I am grateful for the following sources which helped me to shape this article:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2025/07/14/ai-agents-are-killing-brand-loyalty-and-reshaping-how-we-shop

https://zackkass.substack.com/p/shopping-in-the-age-of-ai-curation

https://www.euroshop-tradefair.com/en/media-news/euroshopmag/retail-technology/what-agentic-commerce-means-for-retailers-when-ai-agents-start-doing-the-shopping

https://www.ft.com/content/6d951293-d750-48b9-92b6-632fdfb92f18