

Agentic commerce—AI-guided shopping conversations—is fundamentally redefining how consumers discover and purchase products, moving beyond traditional keyword search to natural language interactions with AI assistants like Microsoft Copilot. According to Bain Company data, 30-45% of US consumers already leverage generative AI for product research and comparison, signaling rapid mainstream adoption. McKinsey projects this shift will drive $1 trillion in US B2C retail revenue by 2030, with global projections reaching $3-5 trillion. This represents a seismic reconfiguration of the retail discovery layer, not merely an incremental channel addition.
The competitive advantage now flows to sellers who optimize product representation for AI interpretation rather than human keyword matching. When a shopper asks an AI agent "I need a sustainable gift under fifty dollars for a coworker who loves cooking, arriving by Friday," the system must interpret context (sustainability values, price constraints, delivery deadlines, recipient interests) and recommend products in real time. This requires accurate product attributes, value propositions, and metadata that AI systems can parse—moving far beyond traditional SEO keyword optimization. Sellers who fail to ensure discoverability on third-party AI platforms (where consumers ask questions) will lose visibility during the critical decision moment. Simultaneously, the interaction generates actionable business intelligence for retailers, creating feedback loops that strengthen with each transaction.
For cross-border e-commerce sellers, two critical imperatives emerge immediately. First, ensure product discoverability on third-party AI platforms by optimizing product data for AI interpretation: detailed attributes, sustainability certifications, delivery timelines, price positioning, and value propositions must be machine-readable and contextually relevant. Second, build owned agentic experiences that capture learning data—proprietary AI assistants on seller websites that accumulate customer preference signals, enabling dynamic pricing, personalized recommendations, and predictive inventory management. The decision layer introduced by agentic commerce creates lasting competitive advantages in pricing optimization, loyalty programs, and customer lifetime value through real-time influence and accumulated intelligence. Sellers who establish AI-native product representation and owned agentic capabilities now will build defensible moats as the market transitions from search-based to conversation-based discovery.