Artificial intelligence is no longer simply enhancing digital commerce—it is beginning to redefine how products are discovered, evaluated and purchased. That is the central message of Gartner’s newly published Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce, 2026, which identifies AI-driven commerce as the dominant force shaping the next generation of retail technologies.
According to Gartner, technologies related to agentic commerce now occupy many of the most influential positions on this year’s Hype Cycle. New concepts such as Agentic Buying, AI Checkout and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) suggest a future in which customers increasingly rely on AI assistants to search for products, compare offers and even complete purchases on their behalf.
Rather than visiting a retailer’s website directly, consumers may increasingly begin their buying journey on AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Perplexity. Gartner expects this shift to fundamentally alter digital commerce over the next five to ten years, making AI platforms an increasingly important gateway between consumers and merchants.
Agentic Buying on the Rise
One of the report’s most far-reaching concepts is Agentic Buying. Gartner describes this as a future scenario in which AI agents not only assist consumers but also make purchasing decisions and complete transactions with little or no human involvement. While still in its early stages, the analyst firm believes organizations should begin preparing for “machine customers” by adapting product information, APIs and digital commerce infrastructures.
The report also predicts rapid adoption of AI agents for commerce operations. Rather than serving only customers, these systems are expected to assist merchandising teams, automate campaign management, analyse data and generate operational insights. Gartner expects such capabilities to become standard components of digital commerce platforms within the next few years.
Another notable development is the emergence of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). As consumers increasingly use AI assistants instead of traditional search engines, companies will need to rethink how they present products and content online. Success may depend less on conventional search engine optimization and more on ensuring that AI systems can easily discover, understand and recommend products.
New Technologies on the Horizon
Beyond artificial intelligence itself, Gartner also highlights the growing importance of flexible commerce architectures. Technologies such as composable commerce, modular commerce and product experience management continue to mature, reflecting the need for retailers to respond more quickly to changing customer expectations and emerging digital channels.
While many of these technologies remain several years away from mainstream adoption, Gartner argues that digital commerce leaders should begin experimenting today rather than waiting for standards and ecosystems to fully mature. The report recommends targeted pilots, investments in high-quality product data, stronger API strategies and careful monitoring of emerging AI commerce platforms.
For the retail industry, however, the report raises broader strategic questions that extend beyond digital commerce. If AI increasingly mediates product discovery and routine purchasing, retailers, brands and shopping destinations may need to rethink how they build customer relationships and create value beyond the transaction itself.
Whether AI agents become mainstream as quickly as Gartner anticipates or even faster remains uncertain. Consumer trust, regulation, technical standards and business economics will all influence adoption. Nevertheless, the report makes one point unmistakably clear: artificial intelligence is no longer a feature added to digital commerce. It is becoming part of the commercial infrastructure on which future commerce will be built.
