Agentic artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative force in global retail, set to reshape how consumers search, shop and buy, according to a new Bain & Company report, Agentic AI in Retail: How Autonomous Shopping Is Redefining the Customer Journey.
The study finds that while generative AI has already changed product discovery and comparison, consumers remain divided on how much control they are willing to hand over to machines. Around half of shoppers said they are cautious about allowing AI agents to complete purchases autonomously from start to finish.
Bain’s Consumer Lab survey found that 30 per cent to 45 per cent of US consumers now use generative AI tools for product research. This trend is accelerating, with 17 per cent of online shoppers planning to begin their holiday shopping on AI platforms such as ChatGPT or Perplexity, and 30 per cent starting with Google Search, which now features AI-enhanced results.
Among younger demographics, 52 per cent of Millennials and 25 per cent of Gen Z shoppers said they intend to use an AI assistant to start their holiday shopping.
Agentic AI, systems that combine memory, reasoning and tool use to act semi- or fully autonomously, could soon become a retail disrupter. AI-driven platforms already account for up to 25 per cent of referral traffic for some retailers, though overall traffic share remains below 1 per cent, according to Bain’s research with Similarweb.
“Agentic AI marks a major shift in retail discovery and loyalty since the rise of search engines,” said Aaron Cheris, partner in Bain’s Retail practice. “These systems are beginning to act independently across the shopping journey, from product research to checkout, creating both disruption and opportunity for retailers. This is the moment to strengthen customer relationships, build trust, and make retailer value obvious — to humans and to algorithms alike.”
Bain’s report identifies three strategic priorities for retailers to navigate the shift:
- Deepen customer loyalty through exclusive products, rewards and value-added services that AI agents cannot replicate.
- Redefine retail media networks, testing new ad formats suited for AI-driven search and conversational discovery.
- Protect data ownership by maintaining control over customer data, fulfilment and checkout processes.
The report notes that retailers will need to choose whether to build their own agentic systems or collaborate with major AI platforms as the technology reshapes the marketing and sales funnel.
The findings are part of Bain & Company’s ongoing Retail Holiday Insights series, which runs through January 2026.
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