AI shopping agents are the next big disrupter, but they're not the customer. A company's real focus must remain on the human consumer and the brand experience. You can't let a great AI-assisted purchase overshadow a bad product or service. Winning in this new era means adapting for AI agents while doubling down on the one thing that truly matters: the person using your product.
The AI Agent is Coming for Your Customers, but It's Not the Customer
AI agents are a disruptive force in consumer-facing industries. I recently read a Wall Street Journal article, "Walmart is preparing to welcome its next customer: the AI shopping agent", that discusses how even retail giants are preparing for this new reality. These agents (shopping bots, travel planners, or personal assistants) will become powerful influencers, making purchasing decisions and interacting with brands on behalf of the consumer.
But companies must not forget: the AI agent is the influencer; the human is still the customer.
A shopping agent might find the best deal on a car rental, but the person experiencing that rental car's service including it’s cleanliness, the ease of check-in, the quality of the vehicle itself, is the one who determines if that brand is worth using again. The agent can suggest a product, but it can't create brand loyalty. That's a human-to-brand connection, built on the experience of using the product.
A recent interaction I had with my Gemini app when buying new computer monitors illustrates this new dynamic. I was in a physical Best Buy store, surrounded by products, but chose to use the app as my shopping assistant. I opened the app, pointed the camera at the products, and talked through what I was trying to accomplish. The AI wasn't a search engine; it was a co-shopper, helping me navigate a complex set of technical options (docks, cords) to find a solution that worked for my Mac.
This kind of collaboration is where agents will shine, especially for products where brand loyalty may not be a primary driver. For example, as the Wall Street Journal article illustrates, an agent can efficiently find decorations for a unicorn-themed birthday party where a specific brand might not be a top priority.
But the story doesn't end with the purchase. The true test of a recommendation is the quality of the product itself. If the dock fails, my perception of that brand (and possibly even the AI's recommendation) will be negative. The brand's residual experience including the seamlessness of setup, the product's performance, and the ease of a future return, is what ultimately determines success. Even as AI agents are developed to write reviews for consumers, the final decision on a product's star rating and whether they liked it still rests with the person who used it. It's the consumer's feedback that will continue to inform what products and brands AI agents recommend.
Every consumer-facing industry must adapt. This means optimizing your digital presence for AI agents to find you and making your customer experience so seamless and delightful that it becomes the preference the AI is given based on feedback from the customer.
As companies race to embrace AI, they must ask themselves: "Are we optimizing for the agent, or are we doubling down on the human experience?" The agent is simply a tool. The real customer, the one who buys, uses, and becomes loyal to your brand, is the person holding the phone.
Winning in this new era means:
AI agents are a powerful and inevitable force, but they are only as good as the brand experiences they are recommending. The companies that will win are the ones that never forget that the ultimate consumer, the human, is the one in charge.