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Shopping has always been about more than acquisition
If the holiday season proves anything, it’ s that buying has never been just about acquiring things. It’ s about identity-making, belonging, generosity, and self-expression. Historically, the fear around AI agents has been that they’ ll replace these emotional experiences with cold optimization. But that fear is misplaced.
For example, instead of scrolling through 500 nearly identical jumpers, an AI agent can surface three that match a consumer’ s aesthetic, fit their climate, suit their style( based on past purchases and aspirational content they are viewing) and align with values such as sustainability- all before they even articulate the criteria. These bots can even throw in a bold recommendation.
Agentic AI aims to remove the noise around shopping to improve decisionmaking whilst still maintaining the human touch. No more endless scrolling or sifting through thousands of irrelevant options or relying on the curation of merchandisers, instead focusing on recommendations that fit a person’ s taste and intention.
This shift is already visible in the UK, where Boots uses AI-powered beauty diagnostics to recommend skincare and cosmetics uniquely suited to each customer’ s profile- helping them feel seen, not sold to.
With smarter visual tools and a better sense of preferences, these AI agents can show how something will actually look and feel on someone in their everyday life. The deeper change though, comes from how they learn to read taste and intentions over time.
They infer aspirations from subtle behavioral cues, not just past purchases. They start to understand what consumers might be thinking. They remember the gift that was hesitated over last Christmas- and recognize when this year, the moment is finally right.
Adding the element of surprise
Traditional e-commerce was built for human eyes. Agentic-powered commerce however operates on a different level, as contextual rather than visual. It weighs price, ethics, sustainability, social proof, personal values, aesthetics, and lifecycle impact in milliseconds.
AI agents that thrive won’ t just deliver what the data predicts, potentially creating a depersonalized experience, they’ ll also bring moments of discovery like a personal stylist who spots potential items a person will like but hasn’ t seen yet or is from a new challenger brand. The goal is AI that can forecast with precision and still leave room to surprise.
What retail leaders must understand going into 2026
The brands best positioned to lead the next phase of retail are going beyond simple digitization and rethinking what truly shapes consumer preference. They see that as AI handles more of the transaction, the real advantage will come from taste, curation, and a deeper understanding of what customers care about.
Human judgement is and still should be at the heart of great retail, and the emotional, social and statusled motivations behind shopping continue to matter. The shift now is that retailers can match this level of personal relevance at scale.
But here’ s the insight retail leaders need most – retailers focused only on driving purchases will lose to those who focus on aligning with a customer’ s identity.
The retailers who can embrace this new era of Algorithmic Intimacy will be the ones who stay relevant as customer preference becomes more personal, contextual, and identity driven. ■
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