It used to be that when you wanted to buy something online, you would visit a store's website, scroll through the catalog, and compare specifications. Now, an intermediary is increasingly stepping in between you and the seller – an AI assistant that decides for itself what to show you and where the best deal is.
Microsoft calls this phenomenon «agentic commerce» and believes it is reshaping the very architecture of retail. In short: AI is ceasing to be just a handy search tool and is turning into an active participant in the buying process – one that filters, selects, and recommends products on your behalf.
How Agentic Commerce Works
What's Actually Happening
Imagine: you ask a voice assistant which vacuum to buy for an apartment with two cats. Before, it would have given you a list of links or redirected you to a search engine. Now, it can browse dozens of stores on its own, compare models, account for your budget, past purchases, and preferences – and suggest two or three specific options with a rationale.
This is agentic commerce: AI acting as an agent representing your interests, rather than those of a specific store. It doesn't just respond to a query – it performs a task in your name.
Technically, this has become possible due to the evolution of large language models, which have learned not only to understand queries but also to plan actions, access various data sources, and make decisions based on a multitude of factors. But the core isn't the technology; it's the shift in logic: the buyer no longer goes to the store – they send their digital representative instead.
Impact of Agentic Commerce on Retailers
Why This Matters for Retail
For online stores, this represents a major shift. Previously, the main goal was to attract the customer to the site via ads, SEO, and a beautiful interface. Now, a purchase decision might be made before the person even sees your resource. An AI assistant will simply say, «Here are three options; I recommend this one». and the user will agree without even opening a browser.
This isn't a hypothetical scenario. Even now, some AI assistants can place orders, book services, and compare prices without human intervention. Microsoft predicts that in the coming years, a significant portion of online shopping will be done this way – through a dialogue with an AI rather than the familiar website or app interface.
For retailers, this means learning to work with AI agents as a new type of customer. If your store isn't integrated into the ecosystems these agents use, you simply won't be recommended. A new level of competition is emerging – not for the shopper's attention, but for the algorithm's trust.
Benefits and Risks for AI Driven Shopping
What This Changes for Shoppers
On one hand, it's convenient. You no longer need to spend time comparing dozens of product pages, reading reviews, and checking shipping terms. AI will do it for you – faster and likely more accurately.
On the other hand, questions arise. How does the AI make its decisions? Does it only consider your interests, or also store affiliate programs? How transparent is the selection process? And most importantly: if you delegate the choice to an algorithm, are you losing control over your own preferences?
For now, these questions remain open. The companies developing AI assistants promise transparency and fairness, but the oversight and regulatory mechanisms are still being formed.
The Future of AI Shopping Infrastructure
A New Shopping Infrastructure
Microsoft describes agentic commerce not as a standalone feature, but as a new infrastructure – a layer between the buyer and the store that changes the rules of the game for all market participants.
For retail chains, it's a challenge: they must adapt to a world where their website might no longer be the primary point of contact with the customer. They need to learn to provide data in formats AI can understand and build partnerships with platforms that control access to shoppers.
For AI developers, this is a zone of responsibility: it's crucial that agents actually work in the users' interest rather than becoming a hidden advertising channel.
For users, it's a choice: whether to trust an algorithm to make decisions or to maintain control over the purchasing process. And this choice will likely become less and less obvious as AI assistants become embedded in daily life.
Future Outlook for Agentic Commerce
What's Next
Agentic commerce isn't a futuristic scenario; it's a process already underway. The question isn't whether AI will become an intermediary between shoppers and stores, but how quickly it will happen and who will control the process.
For now, the industry is just feeling out the rules of this new game. But one thing is clear: the traditional «visit the site – pick a product – buy it» model is gradually giving way to an approach where the decision is made before you even see the storefront.