The Gen-AI shopping revolution is here – is your online business ready for it?

In the not-too-distant past, online shopping was dismissed by many of the industry’s biggest leaders as little more than a fad. A decade or two later, Amazon is the world’s biggest online retailer and the industry’s biggest disruptor. 

There was a time when the scale of change brought about by retail moving online was almost unfathomable. Today, retailers are standing at the precipice of the industry’s next seismic shift.

AI-powered shopping companions are on the rise, driving a fundamental change in how customers browse and buy. 

Today, a first-time mum-to-be, who would have previously done a Google search when looking for a new pram, may ask ChatGPT to do the legwork of compiling a list of worthy contenders for her.

Whether your customer is seeking a well-reviewed pram that can be delivered this week and costs less than £500, or the best alcohol-free beers for Dry January, or anything else you can think of, they are increasingly likely to let an AI-enabled shopping companion determine which products they will purchase. 

ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and others are all rapidly strengthening their shopping companion capabilities in the ongoing race for dominance in Gen-AI – making readiness a priority for retailers now.

The agentic shopping shift is underway

The data shows us two things. The first is that this shift in shopping behaviour is already happening. According to Mirakl’s ‘Winning in the Agentic Era: The eCommerce Transformation Roadmap’ report, one in four Gen-AI users are using the technology for shopping and price comparison today.

The second thing it shows is that AI-guided shopping delivers higher conversion rates and larger average order sizes than traditional browsing – but only for the retailers that have made their online platforms AI-friendly.

As shopping companions, AI agents are already able to research products and check prices on demand – and will soon be able to complete purchases as well.

And while each has its own algorithmic quirks, search preferences and presentation formats, they all share a common foundation of what they need from your ecommerce platform.

Without clean product information, real-time updates, structured data and accurate pricing, an AI agent compiling products recommendations for shoppers simply won’t show your website’s listing to users.

This is not just a new sales channel, but a fundamental and permanent shift in how purchase decisions are made.

Instead of trawling through search results and bookmarking links, customers now have conversational companions that can interpret their needs, research options and present curated recommendations – in plain language and within seconds.

Factors including realistic delivery windows, rich product descriptions, authentic customer reviews, real-time pricing and accurate stock levels will all factor into an AI agent’s search for products that fit the bill for generative AI users. 

Any issues in these areas will be regularly reiterated by the AI agent – increasing the likelihood that a retailer will lose to a competitor – or worse, not even be presented as a contender to purchase from at all.

Having an online offering that stands up to scrutiny and can accommodate the preferences of various AI agents is therefore essential.

For a diagnostic test of your ecommerce platform’s current state of readiness for the Gen-AI takeover, alongside a roadmap of next steps based on where you are now, download Mirakl’s Winning in the Agentic Era: The eCommerce Transformation Roadmap today.