Future of AI-Assisted Shopping: Trends and Strategies

Over the past twenty years, e-commerce has largely depended on search functionalities, whether through platforms like Google, Amazon, or on-site searches—where consumers input queries, compare options, and proceed to purchase. This approach has significantly benefited from search engine marketing, both organic and paid, enhancing performance and visibility. However, this traditional model is now undergoing a transformation. Advanced generative AI 'agents' can assist shoppers in comparing products, prices, and options within a single conversational interaction. Customers initiate conversations, and these AI agents retrieve relevant information from various websites, responding based on the user's query, preferences, and purchase history. **Understanding Agentic Shopping**: The term 'agentic' refers to autonomous systems capable of independent decision-making and actions. In the context of shopping, AI agents like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude serve as personalized shopping assistants, interpreting user requests, searching multiple retailers, and presenting pertinent product and pricing options. Recently, retail-focused publications like Retailgentic, associated with ReF...