"It's still early days, but we are entering the age of agentic commerce, where autonomous artificial intelligence chatbots will be the ones selecting and buying the goods. It's a shift that has the potential to rewire digital shopping. But for that to happen, as it did with mobile phones more than a decade ago, consumers will need to embrace the new technology and retailers must find a way to engage that doesn't eat into their profit margins."
"The buzz around AI-assisted shopping spiked in September, when OpenAI unveiled its Instant Checkout tool within ChatGPT. It allows US consumers to ask ChatGPT to find a product or for inspiration. Like a virtual personal shopper, the AI engine will present a selection of items, and if the seller in question works with Instant Checkout, the customer can buy and arrange shipping without ever leaving the chat."
"Many of the big players are moving swiftly to embrace the new wave of commerce. Wayfair Inc., which competes with Amazon.com Inc. in furniture and home goods, is among the companies that have joined forces with Google, while Britain's JD Sports Fashion Plc struck a deal with e-commerce provider Commercetools to enable US customers to purchase directly through AI platforms including Microsoft 's Copilot, Google's Gemini and ChatGPT."
Autonomous AI chatbots are beginning to select and buy goods on behalf of consumers, creating an era of agentic commerce. OpenAI's Instant Checkout in ChatGPT allows US users to request product recommendations and complete purchases without leaving the chat, and other major platforms enable in-tool buying. Retailers including Walmart, Etsy, Shopify, Wayfair, JD Sports and e-commerce providers are integrating with AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and Microsoft's Copilot. Successful participation requires that products be easily discoverable by bots and smoothly added to virtual carts. Consumer adoption and retailer strategies that preserve profit margins are critical for widespread adoption.
Read at The Business of Fashion
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