E-commerce 2026: the shopper now has an agent

For two decades, e-commerce was about getting shoppers to a website. The next phase is about being chosen when the shopper is not looking at a website at all.

In brief: E-commerce in 2026 is moving from search to AI agents that recommend products and increasingly buy them. McKinsey estimates agentic commerce could orchestrate $3 trillion to $5 trillion globally by 2030. Accenture finds that 90% of frequent AI users in North America are open to switching from a preferred brand if their assistant offers a better alternative.

From search to agents

McKinsey estimates that by 2030 agentic commerce could orchestrate $900 billion to $1 trillion of US retail revenue, and $3 trillion to $5 trillion globally. It also cites research that 44% of users who have tried AI-powered search now call it their primary and preferred way to search, against 31% who prefer traditional search (McKinsey & Company, 17 Oct 2025).

BCG's Global Consumer Radar found that shopping-related generative AI use grew 35% between February and November 2025, across big-ticket and everyday categories alike, and that more than 60% of consumers express high trust in GenAI results (BCG, 2 Jan 2026).

The holiday season was the proof

Adobe measured a 693.4% year-on-year rise in traffic from generative AI tools to US retail sites over the 2025 holiday season, from a modest base (Adobe, 7 Jan 2026). Salesforce reported that shoppers arriving from AI search channels converted nine times more often than those from social media (Salesforce, 8 Jan 2026).

Loyalty gets renegotiated

Accenture's research suggests agents may loosen old habits. In its consumer survey, 90% of frequent AI users in North America said they would be open to switching from a preferred brand if their assistant offered a better alternative. Its simulation projects that up to 45% of shoppers could move at least half of their commerce activity into agent-mediated ecosystems within two years, and 25% of executives expect AI agents to be their number one audience for content within three years (Accenture, 28 Apr 2026).

There are brakes. McKinsey notes that in markets where people prefer invoices or bank transfers to cards, handing payment details to an agent may be a leap of faith too far for now (McKinsey & Company, 17 Oct 2025).

What it means for marketers

• Market to two audiences. As Accenture puts it, brands now sell to the person and to the agent acting for them. Both need clear, comparable facts.
• Make offers machine-readable. Prices, availability, returns and promotions that an agent cannot parse may as well not exist.
• Measure agent share. Track how often assistants recommend your brand, and how often they pass it by.
• Keep a reason to be chosen. When comparison is instant, the brand has to stand for something beyond price.

The storefront is becoming a conversation. The brands that answer clearly are the ones that get picked.

Frequently asked questions

What is agentic commerce and how big could it be?

Agentic commerce is shopping in which AI agents move from recommending products to buying them for the consumer. McKinsey estimates that by 2030 it could orchestrate $900 billion to $1 trillion of US retail revenue, and $3 trillion to $5 trillion globally. It also cites research that 44% of users who have tried AI-powered search now prefer it, against 31% who prefer traditional search.

Will AI shopping agents weaken brand loyalty?

They may loosen old habits. 90% of frequent AI users in North America would be open to switching from a preferred brand if their assistant offered a better alternative, according to Accenture. Its simulation projects that up to 45% of shoppers could move at least half of their commerce activity into agent-mediated ecosystems within two years.

How much are shoppers using generative AI to shop?

BCG found that shopping-related generative AI use grew 35% between February and November 2025, across big-ticket and everyday categories, and that more than 60% of consumers express high trust in GenAI results. Over the 2025 holiday season, Adobe measured a 693.4% rise in traffic from generative AI tools to US retail sites, from a modest base.