Retailers are feeling pressure as costs mount, customer expectations rise, and technology gets increasingly complex, according to a new report from Salesforce, but AI agents offer a path forward. In fact, three out of four retailers believe AI agents, a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that can autonomously take action across business systems, will be vital for beating the competition within a year.
Salesforce’s sixth Connected Shoppers Report, based on dual surveys of 8,350 shoppers and 1,700 retail industry decision makers, underscores the increasing importance of agentic AI in the retail sector. The report also highlights how retailers can navigate changing consumer preferences amid increasing fragmentation.
Retailers face pressure from all sides
Rising customer acquisition costs and mounting returns are squeezing retailers’ margins as they also navigate inflation, competition, and consumers’ evolving behaviors and preferences.
To efficiently serve customers across vast and expanding touchpoints, retailers’ top two strategies are AI and unified commerce, a concept Salesforce champions as a way to drive revenue without adding operational costs.
“When retailers connect their sales channels, customer data, and operations in one platform, they create seamless shopping experiences both online and in-store,” said Linda Saunders, Salesforce country leader and senior director solutions engineering , Africa. “This unified approach boosts productivity and drives growth throughout the business.”
The shopper journey gets increasingly complex
Consumers’ shifting behaviors lead to increasingly complex shopping journeys. While physical stores remain vital, their purchase share is declining — from 45% in 2024 to a projected 41% by 2026. Digital spending is fragmenting across a constellation of marketplaces, retailer websites, brand sites, and delivery apps, rather than consolidating into a single channel.
Retailers see AI agents as a way forward
Retailers are deepening their commitment to AI, with 76% saying they’re increasing investment over the next year. As adoption continues, customer service emerges as retail’s top agent use case. Here, agents automatically respond to inquiries, track orders, and manage returns any time, day or night, so human reps can focus on higher-value interactions.
Beyond customer service, retailers anticipate agents to extend across many other tasks and departments — from optimising websites and marketing campaigns to training store associates and managing inventory.
Unified commerce boosts AI capabilities
AI agents need access to data across retail systems to work effectively. With better, more unified data, agents can provide more personalized and real-time responses. But many retailers’ systems together are disconnected, creating challenges for employees and shoppers alike.
- 81% of retailers say inefficient processes and technology drain store associate productivity.
- Meanwhile, 49% of shoppers have abandoned purchases due to friction in the ordering process.
Fortunately, 86% of retailers have unified commerce initiatives underway. By connecting cross-channel and cross-departmental operations on a single platform, unified commerce improves efficiency and shopper experience — and helps power AI.
Shoppers show readiness for the AI era
The retail transformation isn’t one-sided. Consumers are already exploring AI in their shopping journeys, with 39% of shoppers — and 54% of Gen Z — using AI for product discovery. Gen Z shoppers are 10x more likely than baby boomers to say they frequently use AI this way.
For AI agents specifically, shoppers show strong interest in optimizing loyalty points, managing returns, and more. Shoppers’ #2 agent use case — customer service — aligns with retailers’ own priorities. Younger generations are more open to agents taking initiative: 63% of Gen Z shoppers are interested in agents purchasing items on their behalf.
For shoppers to embrace AI agents making decisions on their behalf, trust is essential. When asked what would increase their trust in agents, shoppers ranked these factors highest:
- Data privacy and security protections
- Ability to easily turn it off/on
- Require approval before any purchase
- Transparency over how data is used
- Available human customer service backup
“The data is clear: retailers and shoppers are both moving toward an AI agent future,” said Saunders. “But success depends on addressing both sides of the equation — building the connected technology foundation retailers need while delivering the trust and transparency shoppers demand.”
