How to win in agentic commerce
For decades, we chased clicks and optimized for attention. But the rules of commerce are changing.
In the Delegation Economy, brands need to win across a spectrum of choice – from human decisions to AI delegation.
Are you ready for this shift?
How to win in agentic commerce
For decades, we chased clicks and optimized for attention. But the rules of commerce are changing.
In the Delegation Economy, brands need to win across a spectrum of choice – from human decisions to AI delegation.
Are you ready for this shift?
Agentic commerce isn't coming. It's already deciding without you.
Your customers may not be searching anymore. They’re asking AI. Shopping agents can interpret intent, compare products and build a shortlist before your brand even enters the picture. If your products aren’t structured for AI discovery, you risk being left out of purchases you never knew were happening.
The shift to AI-led commerce
~52.5m daily ChatGPT queries about products people are considering buying
Gartner, Agentic Commerce: Market Size, Trends & Consumer Behavior, July 2026
20% share of all transactions expected to involve agentic commerce by 2030
Gartner, Agentic Commerce: Market Size, Trends & Consumer Behavior, July 2026
34% of UK online adults had used ChatGPT to search for a product to buy
Forrester Research, The State Of Agentic Commerce, Q2 2026
Be where the buying happens
Your first meeting with a customer might not happen on your website. It happens inside a model. AI-powered ecosystems are becoming new places to discover, decide and buy. Behind them sit protocols such as Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), where brands can create new shopping experiences inside the platforms customers already use.
Think native ChatGPT apps where customers can discover and buy in the conversation. Or Google experiences that take them from question to checkout.
The opportunity for brands? Be ready to compete in both AI discovery channels.
When AI agents start driving the buying journey, will your business be ready?
New rules of commerce
Step inside the new world of agentic commerce
Watch what happens when AI joins the buying journey and why the Delegate Economy is changing what it takes to be chosen.
“Our AI gifting agent helps customers find the right gift for every occasion. But this is only the beginning. Empathy Lab has helped us build a roadmap for future agentic commerce opportunities, so we can stay part of the buying journey as more customers turn to AI agents to shop on their behalf.”
Alex Hibbitt
Senior Director, Engineering, Customer Platform, Storio group
Your next move
How do you win the Delegation Economy?
1. Be present where AI discovers
Consumers no longer start every journey on your website. Make your products and services discoverable wherever AI assistants, shopping agents and conversational interfaces search for answers.
2. Build trust machines can verify
AI doesn't buy marketing claims. It evaluates structured product data, trusted sources and consistent brand signals. Make your business easy to understand, cite and recommend.
3. Differentiate beyond the product
If every agent compares the same specifications, your competitive advantage becomes your brand, your experience and the trust you've built before the buying moment.
4. Stay in control of the relationship
Don't let AI platforms own your customer. Build the data, identity and commerce infrastructure that keeps your brand at the center of every transaction – before, during and after purchase.
“The Delegation Economy is not a future to prepare for. It is a present to act on.
Winners will stop thinking about marketing as the art of reaching consumers and start thinking about it as the science of being chosen. By agents and by the humans who instruct them.”
Dirk Jan Van der Pol
Senior Director, Head of Commerce, Empathy Lab
How we help
What modern commerce demands
Agent-ready shopping
Commerce assistants for discovery, guided selling and service – with human-in-the-loop governance and brand tone built in.
Shoppable media & social commerce
Activating marketplaces, creators and short-form/live formats as measurable revenue channels, not just awareness.
Adaptive product experiences
Journeys that flex to context, channel, and intent – without losing the consistency that makes a brand recognizable.
Post-purchase & loyalty
Uniting fulfilment, returns, and service into experiences that turn agent-driven buyers into repeat, brand-loyal customers.
Commerce readiness assessment
A structured diagnostic of where your brand sits today on the Delegation Spectrum, and the roadmap to close the gap.
Data & content foundations
Catalog, taxonomy and identity infrastructure – the AEO layer that makes a brand accurate, citable and trusted by AI systems.
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