Trend Report: Artificial Intelligence in Retail - How Generative AI, AI Agents, and Agentic AI Are Transforming Retail (2026)

Trend Report:

Artificial Intelligence in Retail - How Generative AI, AI Agents, and Agentic AI Are Transforming Retail (2026)

Authors: Thomas Rudolph, Felix Baumgartner, Lars Holenstein

Language: English

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way into all areas of life. This also affects the purchase of products and services and thus the retail industry. In addition to transforming value creation in retail, this technology will also significantly change purchasing behavior.

Traffic to retailer websites driven by generative AI rose by 693.4% during the 2025 holiday season in the U.S. compared to the previous year (Adobe Analytics, 2026). This figure represents the number of visits via links to retailers suggested to users by generative AI applications. These figures demonstrate the growing popularity of generative AI applications in online shopping.

The most radical form of artificial intelligence in retail is encapsulated by the term “Agentic Commerce.” Here, AI agents independently handle the shopping process for consumers, from product search to purchase completion. At this point, this is still a long way off, as technical and legal issues surrounding processes like payment and returns still need to be resolved. However, the rapid cross-industry development of retail-relevant AI solutions suggests that these problems could be solved within a year and that Agentic Commerce could become a reality.

This trend report addresses key questions surrounding AI in retail. It highlights what shopping might look like in the future, what specific changes will occur, and what opportunities and risks this presents for retail companies. Insights from the report can provide inspiration and actionable recommendations for retailers.