The AI Shopping Experience: Why Retailers Believe AI Agents Are Already Essential

I recently wrote about AI’s role in helping marketers personalize their messages with connected consumer data, but how it’s helping the consumers themselves shouldn’t be ignored.

Salesforce’s Sixth Annual Connected Shoppers Report looked at AI agents and their ability to help retailers ”function as scalable digital labor, integrated across every team, that independently execute tasks ranging from customer service to marketing to inventory management.” 

The report found that three-quarters of retailers believe that, by next year, AI agents will be essential for maintaining a competitive edge, and as far as shoppers are concerned, the report shows they prefer practical services that focus on value.

“They show strongest interest in loyalty program optimization and faster customer service — tasks that offer clear, immediate benefits,” the report says, finding that more than 70% were either somewhat or very interested in AI agents performing both of those types of tasks.

(Source: Salesforce)

Other top-ranked tasks included AI agents completing returns and exchanges (67%), buying items when they reach a target price (66%), and securing products before they sell out (66%).

“Trust will be essential for broader consumer adoption of agents,” the report says. “Shoppers emphasize strong data privacy protections and want control over how agents are applied — whether through easy on/off switches or approval before agents make purchases.”

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