British shoppers are turning to AI. Your next buyer might be a bot.
High streets are under pressure: rising costs, softer confidence, and taxes in flux. At the same time, agentic AI is moving from novelty to norm within five years, according to the UK's data regulator.
These assistants won't just suggest. They will scout deals, manage budgets, negotiate, and complete transactions without waiting for a prompt.
What this means for sales leaders
You're not just selling to people. You're selling to algorithms acting on their behalf.
Agentic systems can scan January sales, check a customer's balance, compare prices across platforms, and place an order before a human even opens an app. That's "agentic commerce" - and it changes how products get picked.
Signals you can't ignore
- Capgemini reports a quarter of customers used generative AI shopping tools in 2025, with another 31% planning to adopt them. See research
- OpenAI now lets users buy from retailers like Walmart and Etsy inside ChatGPT. Amazon is blocking rival AI crawlers to protect its ad ecosystem.
- The ICO is watching this space and calling it the dawn of agent-led shopping. ICO guidance
"Optimised for selection," not search
"Brands must move beyond being optimised for search, to being optimised for selection." That means feeding machines what they need to pick you, every time.
- Structure your product data: GTINs, attributes, compatibility, sizing, availability, delivery windows, local pickup.
- Expose real-time feeds: price, stock, shipping dates, store inventory. If you allow negotiation, publish ranges and rules.
- Upgrade reviews: prioritise recency, use-case detail, and verified signals. Algorithms weigh quality and context heavily.
- Make policies machine-readable: returns, warranty, service SLAs, and support channels.
- Create comparison-ready fields: clear pros, alternatives, and best-for scenarios in concise product summaries.
Pricing and promotions for bot buyers
- Dynamic pricing with guardrails: set floors/ceilings and margin targets the agent can respect.
- Bundle logic exposed via feed: cross-sells, add-ons, and substitutions that keep AOV healthy.
- Loyalty without oversharing: tokenised offers and tier benefits, not raw personal data.
High street advantage: human plus AI
London's high street still has lower vacancy rates than the national average. And 66% of consumers still want human support for purchases, especially in luxury.
Use that. Let AI qualify and route, while people close and upsell.
- Turn stores into demo, pickup, and service hubs with live inventory synced to agents and POS.
- Offer instant consults (in-store or video) when a bot flags high intent or complex needs.
- Capture bot-sourced footfall with appointment slots and QR-to-cart handoffs.
Privacy, risk, and trust
Agentic systems may ask for bank and spending access to "buy smart." That's a consent and transparency minefield.
As the ICO's William Malcolm put it: "While the potential benefits could be transformational, technological advancements must not come at the cost of data privacy." Expect scrutiny of open-source agents that over-collect or make opaque decisions.
- Data minimisation by default; explicit, revocable consent with clear scopes.
- Decision logs and an easy path to human review for disputed orders.
- Contracts for third-party agents; clear crawler and agent access policies.
- Security basics: token scopes, rate limits, and fast revocation.
30/60/90-day plan
- Day 30: Audit product data, reviews, and schema. Fix gaps. Define which bots you'll allow or block.
- Day 60: Launch a real-time product/pricing/inventory feed. Pilot one agent channel. Train store staff on bot-referred sales.
- Day 90: Roll out dynamic pricing with guardrails. Connect store appointments to agent referrals. Report on conversion, margin, and returns by agent channel.
Metrics that matter
- Selection rate by agent channel (how often the bot picks you)
- Win rate vs. recommended alternatives
- Margin after promos and bundles
- Agent-originated footfall, appointments, and assisted revenue
- Complaint rate tied to automated decisions
The takeaway
Agentic AI is here. Sell to humans by winning the algorithm first - with clean data, real-time pricing, and store experiences that close the loop.
Want practical training for sales teams working with AI-driven funnels? Explore job-focused programs at Complete AI Training.
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