Retailers and suppliers must act now to plan their approach to agentic AI before automated retail rewrites how people shop, according to new research from IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution).
While the more familiar generative AI reacts to prompts to create content and answer questions, agentic AI operates autonomously, proactively planning and executing actions towards desired outcomes.
The risk of invisibility
IGD’s report, ‘Agentic AI and the future of shopping’, explains that widespread adoption of agentic AI will rewrite shopper journeys and traditional touchpoints as basket decisions are increasingly decided by algorithms, not people.
“Retailers and supplier products risk becoming invisible when AI agents build baskets,” commented Toby Pickard, Retail Futures Senior Partner at IGD. “Impulse, emotion, and human discovery are redundant when it is machine visibility, not shelf visibility, that shapes choice.”
Unlike other retail sectors, food and grocery shopping is highly habitual and repetitive, making it particularly suited to automation. IGD’s analysis shows that agentic AI can already:
- Automate basket-building and replenishment.
- Compare prices and availability across multiple retailers.
- Optimise purchases for budget, health, and sustainability goals.
- Complete checkout without shopper intervention.
US leads the way
The US market is already seeing agentic AI solutions move from pilot to practice, including autonomous shopping assistants, end-to-end automated purchase flows, and personalised meal-planning agents.
AI utilisation remains low in the UK, with 3% of UK shoppers currently using AI tools for grocery shopping.
However, IGD warns that adoption could accelerate rapidly once trust is established, following a similar pattern to online grocery and in-home delivery services.
“People consistently underestimate the long-term impact of transformative technologies,” said Pickard. “Agentic AI won’t change everything overnight, but once shoppers trust it, convenience becomes the accelerator and habit becomes the lock-in.”
A strategic crossroads for retailers and suppliers
IGD’s research has found wide variance in expert predictions on how soon agentic AI will become mainstream in the UK, with some claiming it will be mass market by the end of this year.
Pickard commented: “The uncertainty surrounds when agentic AI will change behaviours, not if. Businesses that start preparing now will help shape how intelligent shopping scales. Those who wait may find the future has already been decided without them.”
To read the full IGD report ‘Agentic AI and the future of shopping’, visit the IGD website.
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