Retailers must protect customer relationships beyond transactions as AI agents shop
The rise of agentic commerce dismantles the traditional purchase funnel, forcing retailers to embed themselves upstream in the AI layer to maintain customer trust and data ownership, a critical business model pivot.
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Retailers Will Still Get the Sale. They May Lose Everything Else.
As AI agents increasingly shop, compare and recommend on behalf of consumers, retailers focused only on closing the transaction may be losing something far more valuable: the customer relationship and the data that comes with it. 68% of consumers have used an AI-powered tool in the past three months (McKinsey & Company) Only 16% of consumers are comfortable letting an AI assistant complete a purchase on their behalf (Coveo’s 2026 Commerce Relevance Report)