Agentic shopping is rapidly shifting from a vision of the future to reality. Services such as Perplexity, Google and ChatGPT are introducing AI agents that search, compare, select and sometimes even order on behalf of consumers. You no longer have to plough through ten tabs of reviews, prices, and size charts yourself—a digital assistant does the thinking. The result: shopping is changing from a manual activity to an outsourced process.
What is agentic shopping?
The principle is simple: you describe what you are looking for and an AI agent carries out the entire shopping process. This agent looks at previous purchases, preferences, return behavior, durability, and quality scores and presents a shortlist of optimal products. In some cases, the agent can already initiate a purchase, depending on the service.
In short: agentic shopping is the automation of shopping behavior.
Impact on fashion brands
For major fashion brands, this is a fundamental shift. Branding, emotion and lifestyle—traditionally the engine behind preference—weigh less heavily for an AI agent. It optimizes mainly for value, fit, quality, durability and risks.
Important consequences:
- Less influence of branding: A strong campaign loses power if an agent indicates that an alternative objectively scores better.
- Increasing price pressure: agents compare at lightning speed, forcing premium brands to prove harder why they cost more.
- Data becomes crucial: brands without rich product data or transparent quality disappear from the recommendations.
- Customer loyalty is under pressure: agents are not loyal—only performance counts.
Risks for brands
Brands run the risk of losing direct customer relationships, ruthless comparability, reliance on platform logic, and a decline in emotional branding. Everything that is not measurable is lost in the algorithm.
Opportunities for local multi-brand stores
However, there is also room for local retailers—provided they move along smartly.
- Make your store agent-friendly: provide excellent product data so that AI understands your assortment.
- Build your own micro-agent: a shopping AI that guides customers within your local collection.
- Use the physical asset: fitting, feeling, styling and service cannot be automated.
- Position yourself as the human alternative: where AI is efficient, you are personal, warm and surprising.
Risks for consumers
Agentic shopping offers convenience, but also brings risks:
- Loss of autonomy: algorithms drive choices.
- Commercial bias: Agents can have preferences due to deals or platform logic.
- Privacy concerns: Personal data is used in-depth.
- Over-optimization: surprise and discovery disappear—you only see the "rational" offer.
How does a brand maintain its identity in an agentic world?
As traffic to branded e-commerce declines, brand experience shifts to other channels. Brands must focus on new carriers of identity:
- Physical retail experience
Flagships, shop-in-shops and events will become the primary stage for emotion and experience.
- Social video and creators
Human storytelling through short videos, creators, backstage content and cultural moments.
- Cultural Brand Items
Limited drops, magazines, collabs and pop-ups reinforce the cultural value of the brand.
- Own communities
Memberships, style groups and behind-the-scenes content build connection.
- Smart product data and metadata
A brand must become "readable" for AIs: fit profiles, style values, sustainability and narrative.
- Packing and aftercare
The unboxing and aftercare become important moments of pure brand control.
- Human ambassadors
Stylists, service teams and designers remain the most powerful carriers of authenticity.
Conclusion
Agentic shopping is shifting power in the retail landscape: from brand → platform → agent → consumer. The shopping process is becoming more rational, but precisely because of this , human emotion, physical experience and authentic storytelling are becoming more valuable than ever. Brands that can translate their identity into both AI logic and human experience will thrive in this new reality.
