Agentic commerce refers to systems where AI agents don’t just assist in discovery — they take action. They search, compare, purchase, reorder and even manage post‑purchase tasks with minimal human input.
What’s Driving It
- Consumer demand for convenience and efficiency: The less friction in the shopping journey, the more adoption.
- Maturation of underlying tech: LLMs (large language models), better product data infrastructure, improvements in trust, tokenized payments, etc.
- Rising expectation that AI not just helps, but completes tasks: From replacing parts of the funnel (discovery, negotiation, checkout) to making the experience more proactive.
Implementation & Risk
- Brands and retailers need bot‑friendly product data: taxonomy, rich attributes, clarity in returns and availability. If the AI can’t interpret basic product metadata, the customer (or the agent) drops off.
- Trust, privacy, control are central: consumers need to feel the AI won’t make bad decisions (wrong product, overpriced), misuse payment info, or violate expectations.
- Not everything is ready yet: many projects are still in pilot or proof‑of‑concept stages. Some are likely to be shelved if the cost‑benefit or consumer adoption isn’t clear.
What This Means for Retailers & Brands
- Rethink UX: shopping paths must accommodate human + agent interactions. Agent interfaces (voice, chat, API) become channels.
- Adjust product strategy: rich data, consistent supply, predictable pricing, etc. Layers of automation require reliability.
- Marketing & measurement need to evolve: attribution when an agent makes the purchase; what creative or messaging persuades agents or influences the signals agents pick up on (reviews, ratings, peer trust).
The Kidult Economy: Nostalgia, Toys & Adult Play
“Kidults” are adults buying toys, collectibles and traditionally “child” products — not for kids, but for themselves: for nostalgia, personal satisfaction, self‑expression and community.
After flat or declining periods, toy markets (especially in the U.S.) are growing again, with kidult purchases driving much of that growth. Brands tied to pop culture, movies, games and nostalgia are particularly seeing strong performance.
Where These Trends Intersect & What’s Next
These two shifts – agentic commerce and the kidult economy – are not isolated. They feed into one another and present amplified opportunities (and challenges).
- AI agents shopping for hobby/collectible items: Agents might quickly find limited‑edition toys or collectibles, especially on restocks or reseller marketplaces. Speed matters.
- Data & preference modeling: Kidults often follow tight communities, have strong product preferences and care about IP and authenticity. Brands must surface those signals so agents can pick up on them.
- Scarcity, premium editions, limited runs pose logistics challenges: stock, supply chain and ensuring fairness in purchase (e.g., agents shouldn’t dominate so human collectors feel locked out).
Strategic Takeaways for Leaders
Here are what companies that want to lead should do:
- Start small but think ahead
Pilot agentic features in low‑risk categories (replenishables, collectibles with steady demand) to build trust and data. - Invest in rich, clean product databases
Make your products legible to agents: consistent taxonomy, accurate images, stocked availability, clear policies. - Cultivate audience & community
For kidult market especially: authentic content, collaborations, storytelling, limited edition drops, licensed IP. - Measure more than sales
Track agent interaction metrics, sentiment/trust, repeat purchase rates, community growth, price elasticity. - Adapt marketing & creative for agentic contexts
Messaging should work both for human and for AI-driven discovery. Clear cues, memorable IP, strong visual/metadata signals.
