supports decisions to “agentic AI”, an agent that makes and enacts decisions, marks a significant change in retail operations, with far-reaching implications for efficiency, innovation and competitiveness. More than just automation Ben Hanna, head of New Zealand at payments provider, Stripe, describes agentic AI as a collection of systems capable of handling complex, multi-step workflows end-to-end without constant human supervision. “Think processes like invoicing, fraud detection, financial analysis and supply chain operations, all streamlined with minimal human involvement,” Hanna told Inside Retail. For retailers navigating a competitive landscape that is rapidly intensifying, agentic AI could become a productivity superpower. “Retailers that lean into AI will see faster decision-making, accelerated product development, and quicker market responses, all driven by AI that can analyse data, plan and act autonomously,” Hanna said “It can also unlock hyper-personalised, proactive customer experiences, helping companies build stronger loyalty and differentiate in crowded markets,” he added.  Discoverability in the AI era With the rise of agentic AI, retail discoverability is undergoing a radical transformation. Traditional SEO, optimising web content to rank higher in search results, is no longer deemed enough.  Consumers can interact with AI agents powered by large language models, which browse, compare and transact on their behalf. Hanna describes this as “AI agent optimisation,” the next evolution of SEO.  “Businesses need to optimise not just for human users, but for AI agents that browse, compare and transact. This means making your online presence machine-readable and unambiguous,” he said.  Hanna used the recent midyear sale season as an example. Shoppers could avoid clicking through multiple deal sites by having AI agents complete purchases directly from third-party sites for them, “creating new sales channels while eliminating friction”. A recent report by Adobe, From Assistants to Agents: The AI Evolution in Australia, found that consumer uptake of agentic AI is already happening. The company surveyed over 1000 Australians in early and mid-2025 and found that agentic AI usage had surged by 50 per cent within just three months. For retailers looking to scale without inflating their workforce, Hanna advises a strategic approach. “Start with AI that augments high-volume, high-impact financial and payment processes, fraud detection, reconciliation, chargeback reduction,” he added. A broader industry perspective The evolving role of AI in retail was a popular topic at the recent Online Retailer Conference and Expo held at Sydney’s ICC. Hayley MacKay, retail account director at Google Cloud, highlighted the importance of agility in adopting AI. “For retailers and brands to be ready for it, they need to be able to test and learn with their teams so that they can capture that potential growth of the changes in the market and shopping habits,” MacKay said during a panel discussion.  Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke recently said that AI agents will become a common way to shop, unveiling tools that embed commerce directly into agentic AI experiences. These tools will enable AI agents to search products globally, handle seamless checkouts and complete multi-store purchases in one step  Lütke said the goal is to make commerce seamless within conversations, removing the need for complex checkouts or regulatory hurdles and ensuring shopping can happen anywhere people are in the AI age. “No need to build a complex new checkout, or deal with regulatory marketplace rules. Commerce just plugs in and feels seamless in conversations,” Lütke wrote in an announcement about the new tools. The shift from AI as a decision support tool to an autonomous decision-maker and executor marks a significant move in retail operations. Agentic AI could unlock innovation at a large scale, empowering retailers to compete in digital and data-driven markets. The success for retailers may now require a thoughtful blend of technology adoption, workforce upskilling and customer experience innovation.