Gen AI and Agents Are Going to Eat the Traditional eCommerce… Faster than We Think

If you still think Generative AI and intelligent agents are just round the corner, it’s time to look again. 

As someone who’s worked in eCommerce for years, I’ve witnessed firsthand how legacy systems have struggled to keep up with customer expectations. 

I remember the first time I truly grasped the power of Generative AI. It was an interesting wave. But AI is no longer just a concept now; it’s here. 

Quietly, yet powerfully, it’s rewriting the rules while traditional eCommerce systems are still battling outdated search boxes and static rules. 

This isn’t a gradual shift and I can feel it moving faster than anyone expected. 

Quoting what I said in one of my recent interviews, “When I first started working with AI, it felt like a slow burn, but now, it’s clear: businesses who don’t adopt these technologies soon will be left behind.”

Why Traditional eCommerce Is Falling Behind? 

I’ve worked with businesses who’ve poured years of effort into their legacy systems (only to find they’re still clinging to outdated practices.) 

Traditional platforms were built to display, not to understand. They rely on static catalogs, rule-based merchandising, and siloed data, which means every new trend requires manual setup. 

I’ll never forget the moment a client of mine, who’d been running on a traditional eCommerce system, came to me with the same problem: a 5-day delay in merchandising updates. That’s when I realized – AI-based merchandising intelligence could solve this problem instantly. 

Legacy systems can’t grasp intent or nuance, and as AI learns exponentially faster, the gap widens daily. 

Legacy systems are great at following instructions. But Gen AI agents? They don’t just follow instructions — they learn behavior, anticipate needs, and act proactively. I’ve personally seen how these systems learn and evolve, making them far more efficient than anything I had ever worked with before.

From Shoppers Browsing to Shoppers Conversing with AI 

For years, online shopping has been a game of keywords. Our clients have spent countless hours optimizing search functions, trying to make sense of vague queries. You search, click, scroll, and hope the system understands customer's query. 

Spoiler alert: it rarely does. 

Then we experimented with something that shifted the eCommerce search perspective completely. 

The results of the search algorithm proved that AI understood the request (tone, context, and all). It felt like a natural conversation, not a transaction. That moment was a turning point for us at Experro. Now, I can say with 100% surety that agentic experience is the future. 

Imagine saying: “I need a cozy gray couch for a small apartment under $1,000.” That's where tools like Experro’s Conversational AI Agent redefine discovery. 

It doesn’t just match keywords; it understands preferences, space, and emotion. It’s not search; it’s intelligent conversation, and it’s how shopping is evolving. 

I’ve seen firsthand how this technology changes the way customers interact with online stores. It’s simply amazing!

The Tremendous Rise of Agentic Commerce

Welcome to the era of agentic commerce where AI agents are the shopping assistants. 

They: 

• Understand unstructured and multimodal search (queries including text, image, voice). 
• Generate hyper-personalized recommendations on the fly. 
• Curate smart bundles through AI Bundling to boost AOV. 
• Continuously learn through feedback loops, improving with every interaction.

This isn’t theory, platforms like Experro are actually already enabling it.  

The Speed of AI Capture

I’ve been fortunate to witness the speed of AI firsthand. AI-native platforms are outperforming legacy stacks in speed, personalization, and ROI. Retailers embracing Gen AI discovery and merchandising are already seeing: 

• 25 - 40% higher conversions 
• 30% greater engagement 
• 20% less operational overhead 

What Transformations Did We Do in Our Platform? 

When I was working on a project with a major retailer, we integrated AI-driven recommendations, and the increase in customer satisfaction was immediate. 

It was no longer about just making a sale. It was about crafting a personalized journey for every shopper. 

Experro’s fully composable Agentic Experience Platform integrates Gen AI Search, AI Browse, and Personalization to create a single, intelligent layer for product discovery. I can assure you that this is where eCommerce is headed and a smart platform like Experro is what you need. 

What Business Leaders Should Do Right Now?

If you’re leading digital or eCommerce growth, in my opinion, this should be your playbook: 

• Automate merchandising decisions using AI 
• Eliminate data blind spots across all channels 
• Shift from segmentation to 1:1 personalization 
• Upskill teams for AI readiness 
• Measure experience-driven outcomes, not traffic 

I’ve worked with countless teams to implement these strategies, and I can tell you that businesses who embrace AI are light-years ahead of their competitors. 

The Future Is Frictionless 

The next era of commerce won’t be defined by more clicks, filters, or menus. As someone who has helped businesses navigate through the clutter, I can say with confidence that the future is about experiences so seamless they feel invisible. 

Generative AI and intelligent agents are moving commerce from reactive to predictive, from transactional to emotional. I’ve seen this transformation happening in real-time, and it’s inspiring to be a part of it. 

Traditional eCommerce isn’t dying — it’s evolving. But only for those who act fast. For everyone else, it’ll be gone before they realize the future has already arrived. 

Get in touch with our team of experts today!