AI agents are changing shopping: some retailers are closing the door
QVC is adopting AI agents, Kate Spade lets them look but not buy, while Amazon blocks them entirely. The "agentic commerce" debate is heating up in retail.
Approaches to the involvement of artificial intelligence agents in the shopping process differ sharply in retail. QVC embraces these agents, Kate Spade allows them to browse products but does not let them make purchases, while Amazon blocks them entirely. This information was reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The discussion concerns the concept of "agentic commerce": AI agents roam stores on the user's behalf, make selections and can even pay directly. Technology leaders present this as a direction that will fundamentally change retail.
The fact that companies take different positions is no coincidence: how agents behave on the site, who owns the data, and who retains direct contact with the customer remain open questions.
For restaurant and hotel chains in Azerbaijan, although this still seems distant, it already raises the question of who will manage online ordering and booking channels in the future.