Preparing for the Agentic Future of Retail

The shift to AI-driven commerce is happening fast. Here’s what this year’s biggest moves tell us about the future

In 2025, a new term started making its way through retail boardrooms and developer Slack channels: Agentic Commerce. The idea is simple but revolutionary, instead of humans browsing, comparing, and clicking “Buy,” autonomous AI agents act on our behalf to find, negotiate, and purchase products based on our preferences, constraints, and budgets.

And this isn’t theoretical anymore. This year, agentic commerce went from concept to commercial reality, driven by the convergence of generative AI, payments innovation, and large-scale retailer integrations. From Walmart’s ChatGPT partnership to Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, the foundation for a new era of digital shopping is being laid right now.

Let’s unpack where things stand, what’s driving adoption, where the barriers are, and what the future of AI-led retail might look like.