Shopify is preparing for AI shopping agents to change everything, exec says | TechCrunch

"We're going to begin to use these agentic applications as these kinds of personal shoppers. Agentic personal shoppers are predicted to be the future of shopping in some ways - able to discover, buy, and compare products for consumers more effectively. Agentic is fundamentally merit-based as opposed to, if you go to a search engine, you type sneakers, you're going to see Footlocker."

"Agentic is fundamentally merit-based as opposed to, if you go to a search engine, you type sneakers, you're going to see Footlocker. But once his agentic shopper knows his preference for On running shoes, the next time he searches for such shoes, the agent will do a better job of representing options from On, rather than options sold at popular, mass retailers like Footloker."

"I think the chat application is actually a more authentic personal shopper because it's generally not on commission. We're still going to be influenced by the people we see, the people we watch on social media, on television, but agentic shopping should one day be able to take the person's preferences into consideration at a much higher level."

Shopify is pursuing a major transformation centered on agentic shopping, a technology that uses AI to act as personal shoppers for consumers. Currently, only 18% of U.S. retail purchases occur online, with Amazon dominating the e-commerce market. Agentic applications aim to change this by providing a new entry point for e-commerce sellers. These AI agents bring contextual understanding to shopping by learning individual preferences and recommending products accordingly. Unlike traditional search engines that display results based on popularity or paid placement, agentic shoppers prioritize merit and personal preference. For example, if a user prefers a specific brand like On running shoes, the agent will prioritize that brand in future recommendations. This approach offers more authentic shopping assistance compared to commission-based recommendations found in traditional retail channels.

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