Agentic Commerce: How AI Is Rewriting Shopping in 2026

February 11, 2026 · Sangmin Lee

Something has shifted in how people shop online. It is not subtle anymore.

Consumers are not just Googling products, scrolling through ten tabs, and comparing spec sheets the way they used to. Instead, they are opening ChatGPT, Bing Chat, or Gemini and saying things like: "What is the best hypoallergenic washable rug under $300?"

And the AI answers. Sometimes with one recommendation. Sometimes with two.

That changes everything.

This is the rise of agentic commerce: AI systems that do not just help people browse, but actively discover, compare, and even purchase on their behalf. It is not a prediction anymore. It is happening right now.

Here is what the data actually looks like.

1. People Are Already Shopping with AI

This is not a niche behavior. Close to half of U.S. shoppers have used AI tools to help make purchase decisions, according to a Search Engine Land survey from 2025.

Here is the breakdown of what they are doing:

• 57% used AI to find the best prices
• 54% used AI to compare products
• 48% used AI to summarize reviews
• 47% used AI to help make a purchase decision

That is not "trying a chatbot once." That is real shopping behavior.

Adobe found that 39% of consumers have used generative AI for online shopping, and 53% plan to in the coming year. A separate PartnerCentric study found that 49% of consumers tried AI for shopping in 2025.

Nearly four in ten consumers (38%) now use AI for product ideas, suggestions, or comparisons, according to a DataDome consumer behavior report.

Put together, this is not early-adopter behavior. It is mainstream.

2. Adoption Is Growing Fast

The trend line tells the story better than any single data point.

In 2024, about 38% of consumers used AI for daily tasks, including shopping-related ones (Deloitte). By 2025, that number climbed to around 47% specifically for shopping decisions. And by early 2026, PYMNTS reported that more than 60% of consumers now start daily tasks with a dedicated AI platform.

Shopping-related generative AI use grew by 35% between February and November 2025 alone (BCG).

AI assistant use by U.S. shoppers doubled within a single year, climbing from about 12% to 35%.

And 64% of consumers say they plan to use AI shopping chatbots in 2026.

This is not a plateau. It is an acceleration curve.

3. Consumers Are Starting to Trust AI with Checkout

Here is where it gets interesting. People are not just using AI for research. They are becoming comfortable with AI handling the actual purchase.

Adyen's 2026 Retail Report found that 44% of UK shoppers are open to AI handling the entire shopping process, including checkout.

About 31% would buy directly through an AI platform if it surfaced the best deal. Among Gen Z, that number jumps to roughly 40% (FutureCommerce consumer survey).

eMarketer data shows that 61% of Gen Z shoppers used AI tools to help with a purchase over the past year. Younger demographics are not just experimenting. They are building habits.

One third of consumers want "super apps" with AI personal shoppers built in.

This is the signal that agentic commerce is not hypothetical. It is emerging.

4. The Traffic Numbers Are Staggering

If the adoption numbers show willingness, the traffic data shows impact.

Adobe Analytics tracked AI-driven e-commerce traffic during the 2025 holiday season and found a ~693% year-over-year surge in AI referral traffic to retail sites.

That is not a rounding error. That is a fundamental shift in where traffic comes from.

And it is not just volume. AI-referred traffic tends to be higher quality, with lower bounce rates, because the AI has already pre-filtered based on the user's intent.

5. The Funnel Is Compressing

Traditional e-commerce relied on browsing friction. Multiple tabs. Comparison pages. Scrolling and filtering. That friction created opportunity for brands to compete across many touchpoints.

AI compresses that entire funnel.

When a user asks an AI assistant for a recommendation, the system might surface one or two brands. Not ten. Not a page of results.

This is option compression. Fewer slots. Higher stakes.

The economics are projected to be massive. Analysts project that AI-platform e-commerce sales could reach $144 billion by 2029**, and global agentic commerce could scale to **$3 to $5 trillion by 2030 (Bain & Company, Gartner).

6. What This Means for Brands

These numbers show that AI in shopping is no longer fringe behavior. Close to half of consumers use AI to compare products, find deals, and guide decisions. Younger generations, especially Gen Z, are driving adoption.

Here is what matters:

• Visibility is not enough. Being "mentioned" in an AI response does not mean you were selected. In a compressed funnel, selection is what counts.
• Structured data matters more than ever. AI systems rely on structured signals, entity consistency, content clarity, and attribute richness to make recommendations. If those layers are weak, your brand might not even be eligible.
• The window is now. Consumer behavior is changing faster than most enterprise measurement frameworks. Brands that prepare their product data, schema, and AI readiness now will have a real advantage as agentic commerce scales.

The Bottom Line

AI is not just helping people shop. It is starting to shop for them.

The consumers are already there. The traffic is already flowing. The trust is already building.

The question for every brand is not whether agentic commerce matters.

It is whether you are ready for it.

Sources: Search Engine Land, PYMNTS, Adyen Retail Report 2026, eMarketer, Adobe Analytics, BCG, Deloitte, DataDome, PartnerCentric, FutureCommerce, Bain & Company, Gartner.