Agentic Commerce in 2026: Shopper Sentiments, Predictions, and More

Guest blog from Salsify

Drawing on consumer research and market analysis, Yvonne Bertovich, Senior Content Marketing Specialist and Research Lead at Salsify, examines shopper sentiment and predictions around agentic commerce in 2026.

You’ve probably seen the memes about how when you hit middle age, you’re sorted into one of four houses: pickleball, sourdough, plants, or running. 

These activities are all signs of the times — or trends, depending on how you look at it. Playing pickleball, making sourdough, and nurturing plants all became more popular during the pandemic, and now they’re considered commonplace. 

Is handing over the buying journey to autonomous shopping agents yet another inevitability? 

Much like COVID-19 changed how people talk, work, and exercise, artificial intelligence is also reimagining what everyday processes look like. Commerce is one of the best examples of this. 

It’s never been easier to find, order, and return products, and consumers have more options than ever at their fingertips. Shopping is firmly an always-on activity, and agentic commerce is coming faster than you think. 

Learn more about agentic AI, where this technology is at present, how consumers feel about autonomous shopping agents, and what brands should do to prepare for this next evolution. 

Where Is Agentic AI and Agentic Commerce at Present?

Agentic AI is semi- or fully autonomous technology that’s empowered to make decisions independently. It isn’t as limited as earlier forms of AI that relied more heavily on human guidance, and can involve integrations and capabilities of other AI technologies, especially generative AI. 

Fewer limits mean greater potential. For professionals, AI agents can accelerate digital transformation. 

Steve Engelbrecht, CEO and founder of Sitation says, “We, as human workers working with them, can start to think about these [AI agents] as human-like colleagues. We can speak to them. We can train them. We can give them feedback.”

Ideally, consumers can look to autonomous shopping agents with the same regard. 

Agentic commerce is an emerging era where consumers delegate key parts of the buying journey to intelligent, non-human systems.

These systems are autonomous digital assistants that specifically act on shoppers’ behalf to research, compare, and buy products based on their specific preferences and budget. 

In its current stage, this technology leverages: 

• Personalization: Agents can build a knowledge base of consumers’ preferences (with their permission) that gets more precise and even predictive over time. On the flipside, AI agents can build an internal model of truth about brands to fuel recommendations. 
• Generative AI: Conversational commerce can occur — i.e., agents can communicate naturally and make recommendations based on context.
• APIs and integrations: Some AI systems can connect directly to ecommerce catalogs and payment platforms (e.g., OpenAI’s Instant Checkout with Etsy; Shopify merchants and Walmart pending).

Ecommerce thought leader Juozas Kaziukėnas shares a fitting example of agentic commerce: “Get me ready for the NYC marathon.” Ideally, the agent would be able to buy the right shoes, book appointments with specialists, prepare a training plan, generate weekly running tips, order energy gels, and fill out the event registration form. 

However, he says that this level of agentic commerce doesn’t yet exist — but just how many shoppers are willing to meet it when it does?

How Shoppers Feel About Using Agentic Commerce

Salsify surveyed more than 2,700 shoppers from the U.S., U.K., and Canada to understand the latest buying motivations and trends, as revealed in the newly released 2026 Consumer Research report. 

When asked how interested they would be in using an AI shopping agent that could automatically discover, research, and purchase products for them based on their goals and preferences, shoppers had mixed opinions. 

• 21% said “Interested: I would use this regularly.”
• 41% said “Somewhat interested: I would try this for certain purchases.”
• 37% said “Not interested: I’m unlikely to try this out.”

By geographic market, the U.S. showed the most interest (25%) in agentic commerce, followed by the U.K. (21%) and Canada (17%). 

By gender, more male respondents (24%) were interested in agentic commerce than female respondents (18%).

And by generation, millennials are the most interested (30%), followed by Gen Zers (26%), Gen Xers (21%), and baby boomers further behind (5%). However, 33% of baby boomers say they’re somewhat interested and would use it for some purchases.

That’s the general lay of the digital land, but what are shoppers’ reasons for being interested or uninterested in agentic commerce?

Shoppers’ Yeas and Nays for Agentic Commerce

In Salsify’s survey, shoppers were also asked about their reasons for being interested or not interested in using agentic commerce. Here are the top yeas and nays.

• Yeas: Predicted time savings (32%) and convenience (32%).
• Nays: Lack of trust (35%) and lack of involvement in decision-making (31%).

Interestingly, 29% of shoppers say they trust these tools because “they know more than I do and are impartial,” with millennials being the most confident in the technology across generation groups (41%).

At present, however, just 25% of shoppers say that AI shopping agents can help them “find the best/better options,” illustrating agentic commerce’s potential and the work brands and retailers have cut out for them to boost consumer confidence.  

Agentic Commerce’s Potential: What Ecommerce Experts Are Saying

Before agentic commerce becomes more mainstream for interested shoppers, brands need to understand how shoppers use the AI shopping technology as it stands. And how can AI and agentic commerce gain more shopper trust? Ecommerce experts have ideas. 

Shoppers and AI already have a blossoming relationship when it comes to supporting their buying journey:

• 64% of shoppers say they use AI shopping tools to discover and research new products; and
• 22% of shoppers have purchased a product because it was recommended by an AI search tool or shopping agent — just below the 23% who purchased because of a social media influencer, according to Salsify’s upcoming report.

“When faced with infinite options, finding the right one — the best product, the perfect gift, the trusted solution — can feel overwhelming,” writes Rob Gonzalez, Salsify co-founder and chief strategy and innovation officer in the whitepaper, “The PXM AI Manifesto.” 

“AI brings clarity to that complexity.” Gonzalez writes. “It has the power to make shopping more intuitive, more helpful, and more human again.”

Agentic Commerce’s Power Requires a Boost in Consumer Trust

Agentic commerce’s power won’t materialize from thin air, however. (And what’s the point in developing the technology if consumers will be too shy to use it?) 

Where shopping is concerned, AI relies on brand content and authentic, related content that puts the consumer first: product detail pages, user-generated content, reviews, Reddit threads, and the like. What also builds consumer trust, especially where AI is concerned? Better brand and related content.

Right now, the top reason shoppers trust a recommendation from an AI search tool enough to make a purchase is if detailed product descriptions and information are provided, according to Salsify’s upcoming report. 

“Success will come from brands with great products, strong reviews, and clear, consumer-centric information,” Gonzalez writes. “Your job is to ensure AI sees your best because that’s what it will learn from.”

The “connective tissue” that makes agentic AI possible between brands, technology, and consumers, according to Gemma Spence, chief digital commerce officer at VML in “The PXM AI Manifesto,” is none other than product experience management. 

“The digital shelf has become a living, conversational ecosystem — where trust is earned through transparency, structured data, and creative alignment,” she says.

Agentic Commerce: It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

To win (or at least cross the finish line in 2026), brands must design content for AI discovery according to Spence — even if every consumer isn’t yet fully convinced of agentic commerce’s trustworthiness. As content improves, so does AI.

“That means new collaboration across marketing, data, and creative teams, and a relentless focus on predictive readiness — be findable, preferable, and trustworthy wherever the shopper’s journey begins,” Spence says.