For two decades, search has driven ecommerce. Whether through Google, Amazon, or on‑site, the sequence was simple: a shopper types a query, compares results, and makes a purchase. Search engine marketing, organic and paid, enhanced performance.
That model is evolving.
Generative AI “agents” can now help shoppers compare products, prices, and options, often in a single conversational step. Shoppers initiate the interactions; agents then search relevant sites and respond based on the query, past preferences, and purchase history.
What Is Agentic Shopping?
“Agentic” refers to autonomous systems that can independently act and decide. Agentic shopping uses AI agents — ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude — to guide the buying journey for a user. Think of it as a personal shopping assistant that interprets a request, searches multiple retailers, and surfaces relevant product and price options.
Retailgentic, the Substack publication of ReFiBuy, a soon-to-launch agentic tool provider, recently published its test of Comet, Perplexity’s AI-driven browser:
Shopper: This bed set is pretty expensive, but I like it. Can you find it cheaper?
Comet: I searched for a better price on the Allied Home Down Alternative XLT Dorm Kit (comforter, pillow, and mattress pad, Twin XL) and it is still listed at $84.99 at Target — the standard price for this exact bundled set. I didn’t find this specific 3‑piece kit for less elsewhere.
However, other retail sites (like Kohl’s and Macy’s) offer Twin XL bedding pieces or comforter sets individually.
Instead of hopping from site to site, the shopper gets an answer in one dialog.
Why It Matters
Shoppers are warming to AI shopping, though unevenly by age. A February 2025 New Consumer survey (PDF) of approximately 3,000 U.S. residents found that 64% of Gen Zs (ages late 20s to early 40s) and Millennials (mid-teens to late 20s) are “very” or “somewhat” comfortable interacting with an AI shopping advisor, versus 40% for Gen Xs (mid 40s to early 60s).
AI platforms are capitalizing:
- ChatGPT now embeds Shop Pay, Shopify’s hosted checkout and payment tool. Shoppers can discover, evaluate, and purchase goods from Shopify-powered merchants without leaving the chat, turning conversational AI into a sales channel.
- Perplexity’s agent‑led checkout, in partnership with PayPal, enables purchases, travel bookings, and event ticket sales directly in chat.
- Structured product feeds in Perplexity can ingest clean, up‑to‑date product data, such as from beauty brand Ulta (powered by Rithum, my employer), for accurate pricing, attributes, and real‑time recommendations.
Next Steps
There’s no definitive AI playbook, but merchants can still prepare.
Audit product data
Universal standards for AI product feeds don’t (yet) exist, but you’re likely in good shape if you already maintain a product feed, such as for Google Shopping. Make sure it includes all key attributes: size, color, material, weight, and use cases.
Track AI visibility
Test how your products appear in genAI platforms. Brands and manufacturers can prompt their name to see how it surfaces. Even better, try prompts that shoppers might use. See how AI ranks or references your products compared with competitors. For example, “Find me the best backpack that fits two days of clothes and fits under an airplane seat” or “List the highest-rated cordless drills from DeWalt under $200.”
Multiple Channels
Widespread use of AI shopping is far from certain.
Adoption varies. Younger shoppers are more comfortable, older shoppers less so.
Accuracy is uneven. AI can show outdated prices, inventory, and product details, as many are scraping product data, which is prone to errors, instead of using product feeds. In ChatGPT, products unrelated to a query sometimes appear in comparison carousels.
AI shopping agents could become an important revenue channel, but they’re not a replacement for direct customer relationships, traditional search, or advertising. Make your product data AI‑ready while continuing to diversify your sales mix.
Invest in multiple channels, customer engagement, and building a brand that can thrive regardless of how shoppers discover products.
