Agentic AI is reshaping how consumers and brands interact, especially as autonomous shopping agents begin engaging directly with brand marketing agents. Previously, AI tools mainly assisted by suggesting products based on user preferences. Today, agentic AI can not only curate and narrow down choices but also complete purchases on a shopper’s behalf. This transition shifts decision-making power from the human to the AI system itself, fundamentally altering how products and services are chosen. Below are the main ways agentic AI is already affecting marketing and commerce, as well as where its influence is expected to expand in the coming months.
Holiday 2025 as a preview of the agentic future
Salesforce’s 2025 Cyber Week data — covering the height of the holiday shopping period — reveals that AI agents have progressed from passive support tools to active commercial drivers, giving retailers that use them a clear competitive edge. Several trends illustrate where AI, and agentic AI in particular, made the biggest impact.
AI agents as growth engines
AI and agents played a role in 20% of all Cyber Week orders, representing $67 billion in global sales. This shows they are no longer just about operational efficiency — they are now a core contributor to revenue growth. During Cyber Week, retailers that implemented branded shopping agents on their sites experienced sales growth 32% faster than those that did not.
High-intent discovery boosts conversion
Traffic coming from third-party AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity is turning out to be far more valuable than visits from traditional social media. The volume generated by these AI-powered channels…