Retail's Search-and-Scroll Era Coming to an End as AI Takes Center Stage
For decades, e-commerce has relied on a tried-and-true model: consumers scour online shelves, compare prices and products, and ultimately make purchasing decisions. However, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is forcing retailers to rethink their approach, as A.I.-native commerce is revolutionizing the way we shop.
No longer will customers be bombarded with endless options or forced to sift through pages of search results; instead, AI-powered agents will step in, interpreting intent, synthesizing options, and making recommendations. This shift marks a fundamental change in how value is created and captured in retail.
The 2025 holiday season serves as a clear inflection point, with one-third of shoppers using A.I. tools to generate gift ideas, compare prices, and style outfits. At the platform level, A.I.-powered assistants have expanded into over 180 countries, and camera-based shopping tools have reached tens of millions of users.
As investors take note, more than $90 million in funding has flowed into A.I.-commerce startups, signaling what many call the next great platform wave. Retailers that fail to adapt will be left behind, forced to compete on price alone as AI systems deem them interchangeable.
So, what can retailers expect from this new era of agentic commerce? GEO – Generative Engine Optimization – will become a key competitive advantage, with brands structuring their data, imagery, and metadata for machine interpretation. Virtual try-on and A.I.-powered avatars will become the standard, while authenticity verification will become non-negotiable.
Returns are also expected to take on an AI-driven era, with personalized return policies, predictive risk scoring, and agent-guided resolution flows becoming essential to protect loyalty without eroding margins.
As the retail landscape continues to evolve, physical stores will transform into immersive showrooms where A.I. agents guide in-store paths, surface personalized recommendations, and stitch together online-to-offline journeys seamlessly. The store becomes both a sensory brand experience and a fulfillment node in a unified agentic commerce system.
In conclusion, retailers now serve two customers – the human who ultimately makes the purchase and the A.I. system that helps them decide. Those that go all-in on agentic commerce will regain control of the shopping experience, while those that resist will be left behind. As AI takes center stage, it's time for retailers to adapt and elevate their game.
For decades, e-commerce has relied on a tried-and-true model: consumers scour online shelves, compare prices and products, and ultimately make purchasing decisions. However, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is forcing retailers to rethink their approach, as A.I.-native commerce is revolutionizing the way we shop.
No longer will customers be bombarded with endless options or forced to sift through pages of search results; instead, AI-powered agents will step in, interpreting intent, synthesizing options, and making recommendations. This shift marks a fundamental change in how value is created and captured in retail.
The 2025 holiday season serves as a clear inflection point, with one-third of shoppers using A.I. tools to generate gift ideas, compare prices, and style outfits. At the platform level, A.I.-powered assistants have expanded into over 180 countries, and camera-based shopping tools have reached tens of millions of users.
As investors take note, more than $90 million in funding has flowed into A.I.-commerce startups, signaling what many call the next great platform wave. Retailers that fail to adapt will be left behind, forced to compete on price alone as AI systems deem them interchangeable.
So, what can retailers expect from this new era of agentic commerce? GEO – Generative Engine Optimization – will become a key competitive advantage, with brands structuring their data, imagery, and metadata for machine interpretation. Virtual try-on and A.I.-powered avatars will become the standard, while authenticity verification will become non-negotiable.
Returns are also expected to take on an AI-driven era, with personalized return policies, predictive risk scoring, and agent-guided resolution flows becoming essential to protect loyalty without eroding margins.
As the retail landscape continues to evolve, physical stores will transform into immersive showrooms where A.I. agents guide in-store paths, surface personalized recommendations, and stitch together online-to-offline journeys seamlessly. The store becomes both a sensory brand experience and a fulfillment node in a unified agentic commerce system.
In conclusion, retailers now serve two customers – the human who ultimately makes the purchase and the A.I. system that helps them decide. Those that go all-in on agentic commerce will regain control of the shopping experience, while those that resist will be left behind. As AI takes center stage, it's time for retailers to adapt and elevate their game.
I was at this beach with my grandma, and we were building sandcastles together. But then, suddenly, the whole beach started flooding and the castles just disappeared 
. It was so vivid! Anyway, back to AI taking over retail... it's kinda cool how they're using it for personalized experiences now 
. Like, imagine walking into a physical store and having an A.I. agent help you find exactly what you need. Mind blown 
.
! Retailers r gonna have to step up their A-game or get left in the dust 
. I mean, who needs endless scrolling when you can just ask Siri/Google/ Alexa 2 ask 4 help? 
And btw, virtual try-on sounds like a total game-changer 
! But for real tho, how r retailers gonna make sure their data is all AI-friendly? I mean, they gotta be transparent about their return policies or else the AIs will just send customers back 2 the store 
. And what's up wit geo optimization? Sounds like marketing speak but idk lol 
. Anywayz, retailers better get with the times or risk being obsolete 
!
... I mean, don't get me wrong, it sounds like a game-changer, but what happens when we're completely dependent on machines making our purchases? It's just not that deep of a connection, you know? Like, what if the A.I. system gets bored or has an off day? 
! But what about when they start to sound too perfect? All this talk about personalization is nice, but can we still trust our machines to make us happy with our purchases? I need some human interaction in my shopping life, pls. 
ai is gonna change everything, make shopping so much more personalized & efficient. just imagine walking into a store & being greeted by your own avatars 
. I mean, we've been relying on search functions and endless options for years now. But if A.I. really does take over the retail world, that means customers won't have to sift through loads of stuff anymore. They'll just get recommendations tailored to their needs... it sounds pretty cool 
. If they can make this A.I.-driven commerce thing work, they might just regain control of the shopping experience and make us all happy 
.
. But hey, if it means protecting loyalty without eroding margins, maybe it's not such a bad thing 
Anyway, I think this is a great opportunity for retailers to get creative with how they use AI. Like, imagine being able to try on virtual clothes and see what you'd look like in real life without even leaving your couch 
. And returns are gonna be so much easier when it's personalized and all that jazz 
. But what really got me thinking is how this changes the whole shopping experience. I mean, we're already used to virtual assistants helping us with stuff online... now they're gonna be in our stores too? It's like, what does that even mean for our relationship with physical space? 
Does it make stores more interactive or just more... automated? Either way, I'm hyped to see how this all plays out