{"id":72132,"date":"2025-03-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=72132"},"modified":"2025-03-26T16:28:55","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T16:28:55","slug":"ai-agent-retail-trends-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/news\/stories\/ai-agent-retail-trends-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"79% of UK Retailers Say AI Agents Will Be Essential to Compete"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Data from Salesforce’s sixth Connected Shoppers Report offers a glimpse into the future of retail<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Retailers are feeling pressure as costs mount, customer expectations rise, and technology gets increasingly complex, according to a new report from Salesforce, but AI agents<\/a> offer a path forward. In fact, three out of four retailers believe AI agents, a type of artificial intelligence (AI)<\/a> that can autonomously take action across business systems, will be vital for beating the competition within a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salesforce\u2019s sixth Connected Shoppers Report<\/em>, based on dual surveys of 8,350 shoppers and 1,700 retail industry decision makers, including 500 shoppers and 100 retail industry decision makers in the UKs, underscores the increasing importance of agentic AI<\/a> in the retail sector. The report also highlights how retailers can navigate changing consumer preferences amid increasing fragmentation.sing importance of agentic AI<\/a> in the retail sector. The report also highlights how retailers can navigate changing consumer preferences amid increasing fragmentation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Retailers face pressure from all sides<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rising customer acquisition costs and mounting returns are squeezing retailers’ margins as they also navigate inflation, competition, and consumers\u2019 evolving behaviors and preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n

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To efficiently serve customers across vast and expanding touchpoints, retailers\u2019 top two strategies are <\/strong>AI<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>unified commerce<\/strong><\/a>, a concept Salesforce champions as a way to drive revenue without adding operational costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When retailers connect their sales channels, customer data, and operations in one platform, they create seamless shopping experiences both online and in-store.<\/p>\nMichelle Grant, Director of Retail Strategy and Insights at Salesforce<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen retailers connect their sales channels, customer data, and operations in one platform, they create seamless shopping experiences both online and in-store,\u201d said Michelle Grant, Director of Retail Strategy and Insights at Salesforce. \u201cThis unified approach boosts productivity and drives growth throughout the business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the shopper journey gets increasingly complex<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Consumers\u2019 shifting behaviors lead to increasingly complex shopping journeys. While physical stores remain vital, their purchase share is declining \u2014 from 45% in 2024 to a projected 41% by 2026, globally. Digital spending is fragmenting across a constellation of marketplaces, retailer websites, brand sites, and delivery apps, rather than consolidating into a single channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retailers see AI agents as a way forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Retailers are deepening their commitment to AI, with 73% UK retail industry decision makers saying they’re increasing investment over the next year. As adoption continues, marketingemerges as UK retail\u2019s top agent use case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Velia Carboni, CIO of Salesforce customer SharkNinja, described<\/a> Agentforce, the agentic layer of the Salesforce Platform, as \u201ckey to helping us build a community that keeps consumers coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond marketing, retailers anticipate agents to extend across many other tasks and departments \u2014 from customer service to training store associates and managing inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI agents represent the next wave of retail AI<\/a> innovation \u2014 digital labor<\/a> that promises to reshape how retailers scale their workforces, serve and market to customers, and streamline operations,\u201d said Grant.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Unified commerce boosts AI capabilities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI agents need access to data across retail systems to work effectively. With better, more unified data, agents can provide more personalised and real-time responses. But many retailers\u2019 systems together are disconnected, creating challenges for employees and shoppers alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n