Retail is entering a new phase in which artificial intelligence is no longer only helping consumers make purchasing decisions — AI systems are beginning to interact and transact with other AI systems. According to Capgemini, 68% of surveyed companies believe AI agents will eventually outperform traditional customer-service channels, including direct contact with sales staff. At the same time, 58% of consumers say generative AI could save them time by automating routine monthly purchases and payments. This raises a broader question: could access to a human adviser eventually become a premium service?
Consumer expectations are reshaping not only the way people shop but also the way companies design the entire customer journey.
One concept gaining importance is “Zero UI” — an approach in which technology operates almost invisibly, with services delivered in the background rather than through traditional screens, menus and interfaces. As AI agents become capable of completing more tasks independently, consumers may increasingly delegate routine purchasing decisions to software.
In such an environment, human empathy, expert advice and personal support could become scarcer — and therefore more valuable as a way for brands to differentiate themselves.
Product Development for a New Type of Customer
Product and service design is entering an era in which the end user may no longer be only a human being. Increasingly, companies will also need to design for intelligent agents acting on behalf of customers.
It is estimated that by 2028, organisations using multi-agent AI systems to manage as much as 80% of customer-service processes could establish a significant competitive advantage.
This would change the role of employees. Instead of handling routine processes, people would increasingly focus on complex, sensitive or exceptional cases requiring judgement and interpersonal skills.
At the same time, customers are demanding faster and more personalised purchasing experiences. Employees therefore need better tools to respond effectively, which is one reason why demand for AI agents is expected to continue growing.
“Over the next three years, the share of customers using generative AI is expected to rise from 21% to 51%, while AI technologies will gradually take over more stages of the purchasing process,” says Magdalena Łuszczek, IBO Transformation & Strategy Director at Capgemini Poland.
“We can already see traditional price-comparison tools giving way to intelligent agents that not only analyse prices but also check product availability, track promotions and generate personalised recommendations. The scale of this transformation can be compared with the rise of e-commerce two decades ago, and we are only beginning to see its full consequences.”
AI Is Moving Closer to the Transaction
Examples of this shift are already appearing in the US market.
Gemini users can describe the products they are looking for and receive suggestions accompanied by images, prices and reviews. Google’s “Let Google Call” feature can also contact local stores on behalf of users to check product availability, compare prices or ask about promotions.
PayPal and Perplexity have meanwhile introduced an “Instant Buy” feature allowing US customers to move directly from AI-assisted product discovery to completing a purchase within the Perplexity chat interface.
PayPal processes the transaction in the background, including payments, identity verification and buyer protection.
Such developments mean that product design, service development and sales-channel strategy will increasingly have to take into account not only the final customer but also the AI systems acting as intermediaries between buyers and sellers.
If this trend accelerates, AI agents themselves could become one of the most important audiences for retailers.
From SEO to GEO
As commerce becomes more dependent on artificial intelligence, competition for the customer’s attention may gradually turn into competition for the attention of algorithms.
Capgemini data show that 57% of shoppers see a fragmented purchasing process as one of the main obstacles to delivering a good customer experience.
Large language models offer an alternative by bringing recommendations, comparisons and purchasing decisions together within a single environment.
For brands, this means online visibility may increasingly depend on how well their content can be discovered, interpreted and recommended by generative AI systems.
This is where GEO — Generative Engine Optimization — is becoming increasingly important.
Companies that ignore GEO may eventually risk becoming difficult to find not only for consumers but also for AI agents making or influencing purchasing decisions on their behalf.
“Paradoxically, the greatest risk associated with autonomous commerce is not the technology itself, but the potential loss of the emotional relationship with the customer,” says Łuszczek.
“An AI agent can make rational decisions based on data, but brands have traditionally won customers through emotion, experience and trust. Companies therefore need to design experiences that encourage customers to consciously interact with the brand rather than delegate every decision to algorithms.”
Could Human Support Become a Luxury?
As more elements of customer service become automated, direct access to a person may become one of the most valuable parts of the shopping experience.
Capgemini’s research indicates that 69% of consumers are willing to forgive a product defect, but are much less tolerant of frustrating or impersonal customer experiences.
Artificial intelligence can deliver speed, scale and efficiency, but it still cannot fully replicate genuine empathy, nuanced understanding or the ability to build a personal relationship.
For that reason, frontline employees remain important even in organisations that rely heavily on AI.
There are also signs that some consumers are willing to pay more for access to knowledgeable human advisers.
If automation becomes the standard for routine interactions, human assistance may gradually evolve into a premium differentiator — much as highly personalised service has traditionally distinguished luxury brands.
The future of retail may therefore not be a choice between humans and artificial intelligence. Instead, the strongest companies may be those that use AI to remove friction and automate routine transactions while reserving human expertise for the moments when customers value it most.
Source: Capgemini, “Reimagining Customer Experience: Human-led, AI-powered”.
