From click to agent: the next shift in European commerce

E-commerce has evolved relentlessly over the past two decades, from desktop to mobile, from search to social, from browsing to buying. A new transformation is now emerging: agentic commerce.

Defining agentic commerce: AI as an active agent

In the agentic commerce model, AI no longer merely assists users; it acts autonomously on their behalf. AI agents are expanding beyond product recommendations to perform complex purchasing tasks.

Current AI capabilities in commerce include:

• Product recommendations
• Search and comparison of products
• Price negotiation
• Transaction execution
• Post-purchase customer service management

Sopra Steria conducted the first European-led benchmark study on consumer attitudes toward agentic commerce.

The survey included:

• 8,400 consumers interviewed across the study
• 8 European countries represented in the research

Strategic questions for industry leaders

The emergence of agentic commerce raises the following strategic questions for businesses:

• Customer ownership: Who will own the customer relationship in an agent-driven commercial ecosystem?
• Brand visibility: Will brands remain visible to consumers, or will AI intermediaries filter brand selection?
• Regulatory and trust factors: How will trust, transparency, and regulatory frameworks shape adoption across Europe?
• Sector-specific disruption: Which sectors will experience disruption first, and which industries will prove more resistant to agentic commerce?
• Value chain evolution: What role will payments infrastructure, financial institutions, and digital platforms play in the emerging agentic commerce value chain?

The competitive landscape shift

The battleground for commerce is shifting from websites and mobile applications to algorithms and AI agents as the primary commerce interface.

Organisations that understand and anticipate this shift will shape the next era of commerce, while others will need to adapt to leadership established by early movers.