Agentic commerce is reshaping retail … and most models aren’t ready

When mobile commerce first emerged, many brands treated it as a lightweight extension of e-commerce — a smaller screen layered onto existing digital infrastructure. Over time, it became clear that mobile was not simply a new interface. It fundamentally changed customer behavior, expectations, operating models, and the economics of digital commerce itself.
Retailers are now entering a similar phase of agentic commerce adoption, one where the focus is shifting from experimentation to operational readiness.