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Welcome to the era of Agentic Commerce - one that may improve how consumers interact with retailers. Digital commerce did increase choice and make buying easier, however consumers became overwhelmed by options and information, which made making decisions a struggle. The unintended consequence was abandoned carts, higher return rates which led to eroding margins for retailers and brands that now had to work even harder to win back the customers.

New research by Accenture highlights the scale of the challenge with 85% of consumers likely to abandon an online purchase due to frustration or indecision. More than three in four feel overwhelmed by too many options. What was billed as the era of consumer choice turns out, for many online shoppers, to be simply cognitive overload.

Agentic commerce is starting to fundamentally change all this. Representing the biggest shift in commerce for the past 20 years, AI agents can research, evaluate and complete purchases, as well as manage deliveries/returns — all autonomously, on a customer’s behalf.

That considerably lightens the load for consumers. But it creates a whole new proposition for retailers and brands. Agents are not interested in a compelling story, an emotional appeal or a visually arresting campaign. Instead, agents evaluate structured data, verify claims, assess reliability and execute — in milliseconds, at scale, with no interest in a brand's heritage or advertising spend.

The reality is that all brands in all industries will have to grapple with the entirely new demands that agentic commerce imposes. To understand where this is heading, Accenture worked with Aaru, a pioneer in using AI for behaviour modelling, to simulate 50,000 synthetic consumers across 24 countries. The conclusion? Within 18 to 24 months, up to 45% of shoppers will conduct at least half of their commerce activities through agent-mediated ecosystems.

Fundamental strategic choices

Achieving success in agentic commerce is increasingly complex due to the development of two distinct types of agents. Marketers must thoroughly assess the requirements of each category before formulating their strategies.

Horizontal agents are engineered by major LLMs and marketplaces as versatile conversational platforms, assisting shoppers by refining preferences and facilitating comparisons. In contrast, vertical agents focus on specialized categories—for instance, a grocery agent capable of tailoring recommendations based on nutritional needs and managing pantry inventory, or a dedicated beauty agent providing highly personalized skincare guidance.

Each type necessitates tailored engagement from companies. Most organizations should aim to become the preferred option for agents by ensuring their products are readily accessible to horizontal agents for discovery, evaluation, and purchase. This includes ensuring information is accurate, emphasizing features, competitive pricing, substantiated claims, efficient payment and delivery processes, and straightforward return procedures.

Excellent execution across the whole purchase journey will be even more important than it is today. Accenture’s simulation shows that up to 86% of AI-mediated transactions are at risk of being abandoned or switched to a competitor when something goes wrong in the purchase process. In a market where AI agents consider reliability to be table stakes, any weak spots in execution can instantly see a brand eliminated from consideration.

Leading players in each industry may, however, also seek to become an agent of choice. This is possible if a brand possesses deep category authority and first-party customer data and is able to offer integrated services from end to end. In short, being an agent of choice means offering specialist guidance in areas where more generalized horizontal agents won’t be able to compete.

Key steps to take

It’s not just marketers who need to adapt. In fact, the impacts of agentic commerce go way beyond CX, channel strategies and product data. They will require profound reassessments of operations, business platforms, talent strategy, company culture, loyalty program and first-party data structures.

As my colleague Ndidi Oteh has said, “agentic commerce isn’t a channel shift — it’s an enterprise shift. When AI agents are evaluating every step of the journey, marketing, data, payments, supply chain and customer service all become part of the competitive equation.”

To drive meaningful growth in this new world, companies need to take some key steps:

Redesign to include agents

Invest in generative engine optimization (GEO) to make products and services visible to agents early in the pre-purchase cycle. Align social and agentic strategies so you understand when agents are picking up social content. And experiment with agent-mediated buying experiences on LLM platforms to learn what works for agents and track performance against clearly defined KPIs.

Transform digital and physical assets

Create agent-ready, people-friendly digital experiences across owned apps and websites, so people and agents can easily choose and buy your products and services. And connect in-store and online experiences so they support each other as well as the shoppers and retail staff who use them.

Reinvent cost structures, not just revenue streams

Build supply chains that react to agent-driven demand in real time. Invest in payment systems with clear authorization and smart fallbacks to reduce disputes. Use always-on decision systems focused on fulfillment accuracy and cost-to-serve. Brands achieving this will gain sustainable scale with fewer errors.

Ensure that product data, return policies, warranties, and digital content are accurate and machine-readable. Build scalable, adaptable systems for payments, inventory, shipping, and supply chain.

Commerce reinvented

Retailers and brands are currently facing a pivotal period, with consequences that extend beyond technology and customer experience. Organizations of every scale must transition from initial experimentation to establishing lasting competitive advantages, doing so with the urgency and assurance that current conditions necessitate.

Those that get this right have a once in a once-in-a-generation opportunity for growth and profit. Why? Because agentic commerce reshapes the economics of selling: lower acquisition costs, fewer returns, less fraud, and more predictable cash flow. The brands that get it right will pull further ahead with every transaction. Those that don’t risk becoming invisible – passed over in milliseconds by a machine that has no reason to choose them.