2026: The Year AI Agents Redefine Retail, Say Industry Experts

Key Takeaways

In 2026, AI agents evolve from "tools" to "decision-makers" in retail
Gartner predicts 40% of enterprise apps will feature AI agents (up from less than 5% in 2025)
E-commerce businesses must start preparing "data infrastructure" and "agent compatibility" now

AI Agents Are Transforming Retail

How agentic AI will reshape shopping in 2026

Agentic AI is reshaping commerce by removing friction from the middle of the funnel. As shoppers delegate comparison, evaluation, and planning to AI agents, the journey from intent to action is accelerating.

2026 marks a turning point where AI agents fundamentally transform how retail businesses operate. AI is no longer just an analytics tool—it's beginning to function as an autonomous "digital employee" that makes judgments and takes action independently.

According to EMARKETER, 38% of consumers are already using AI for shopping, and 80% indicate they plan to increase usage going forward. Consumers are beginning to delegate "tedious tasks" like price comparisons, review verification, and return policy checks to AI agents.

Background and Industry Trends

Why "Agentic AI" Now?

Traditional AI reported to humans about "what's happening." But in 2026, that role is changing dramatically. SiliconANGLE reports that "AI is becoming the operating system for retail."

Kaare Wesnaes, Head of Innovation at Ogilvy North America, predicts: "Consumers won't open 10 tabs or read 20 reviews anymore. They'll ask AI agents to 'understand my needs, research the market, and consider price, delivery, sustainability, return policies, and my purchase history.'"

Three Parallel Universes

Currently, three "parallel universes" are forming in the retail industry:

Discovery Commerce: Product discovery through TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube
Retail Media: Platforms like Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, and Target
Agentic Commerce: Shopping via AI agents

Each has its own KPIs, operational rules, and organizational owners. E-commerce businesses need to address all three.

Current State and Predictions for the AI Agent Market

Gartner's Striking Prediction

Gartner predicts that "by the end of 2026, 40% of enterprise applications will feature task-specific AI agents." Considering this was less than 5% at the beginning of 2025, this rapid growth is remarkable.

Gartner analyst Anushree Verma states: "AI agents will rapidly evolve from task- and application-specific to agentic ecosystems. Enterprise applications will transform from tools supporting individual productivity to platforms enabling seamless autonomous collaboration and dynamic workflow orchestration."

Major Player Developments

According to Modern Retail, intense competition has begun in the AI shopping agent market:

Amazon: While blocking external agents, expanding its Rufus assistant with auto-purchase capabilities
OpenAI/ChatGPT: Partnering with Target, Instacart, and DoorDash to enable direct checkout integration
Perplexity: Launched AI shopping agent in late 2024
Startups: Daydream (fashion-focused), Phia (price comparison), OneOff (celebrity recommendations), and more

Notably, about 2% of ChatGPT queries (approximately 50 million daily) are already shopping-related.

The Trust Challenge

However, complete trust hasn't been established yet. According to EMARKETER research, only 46% of consumers "fully trust" AI recommendations, and 89% verify information themselves before purchasing. 88% of consumers want clear source information, and 87% want verified reviews.

Impact and Applications for E-Commerce Businesses

Three Preparations to Start Immediately

1. Data Infrastructure Development

AI agents don't function well with catalog data built for traditional keyword search. They need detailed contextual information and structured metadata. It's urgent to increase product information granularity and organize it in a format AI can "understand."

2. Unified Data Orchestration

You need to provide consistent information across all channels where AI agents operate—marketplaces, social media, and your own site. Synchronizing prices, inventory, and product descriptions is essential.

3. Human-AI Role Division

AtData CEO Tom Burke points out: "Consumers won't browse anymore. They'll delegate." However, purchases involving identity (fashion, hobbies, etc.) will resist automation. "The head (rational judgment) gets automated quickly. The heart (emotional judgment) takes longer."

Risks to Watch

Two-speed economy risk: Growing gap between companies investing in AI infrastructure and those that aren't
Project cancellation risk: Gartner warns "over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by end of 2027"
Trust-building importance: Excessive automation may damage customer relationships

Conclusion

2026 is a turning point where AI agents evolve from retail "tools" to "infrastructure." Gartner's prediction of "40% of enterprise apps featuring AI agents" speaks to the scale of this transformation.

For e-commerce businesses, the key is to start preparing now. Data preparation, channel integration, and deciding "what to delegate to AI and what humans should handle"—these will determine competitiveness from 2026 onward.

As VML's Megan Hoppenjans points out, "Consumer behavior changes that used to take over 10 years are now happening in 12-24 months." There's no time to wait.