AI Agents Are Coming Fast. Will You Evolve or Alienate?
- Article
- 5 MIN READ
- September 25, 2025
-
Brian BrowningVice President, Enterprise Solutions
Summary
At a recent dinner with IDC, the conversation centered on the seismic shift that agentic AI represents for commerce. This is not an incremental technology upgrade; it is a fundamental transformation in how customers interact with brands and make purchasing decisions.
Shopping through AI agents is fast becoming the new standard. For leaders, the challenge is clear: move too quickly and risk eroding trust, control, or delight; move too slowly and risk falling behind competitors who deliver speed, personalization, and scale.
This paradox defines the future of digital commerce. At Apply Digital — recently named to Forrester’s The Commerce Services Landscape, Q3 2025 — we believe success will hinge on how well organizations adopt AI and balance its autonomy with what people expect. There are a series of tensions businesses must navigate - with four standing out as particularly urgent for commerce leaders:
Convenience vs. Control
AI Alignment vs. Consumer Trust
Personalization vs. Privacy
Efficiency vs. Depth
Convenience vs. Control
Agentic AI can anticipate needs, compare products, and execute purchases automatically. The promise is frictionless commerce. Yet the act of delegating choice can create unease. Was the “best” option selected in the customer’s interest or the retailer’s? Without visibility into reasoning, convenience quickly breeds suspicion.
To sustain adoption, explainability must be built into every AI interaction. Consumers should see not only what was chosen but also why, with the ability to intervene. For example, an agent might clarify: “You received this price because the item is on sale until Friday, and your loyalty status applied an additional 10% discount.” Control remains essential, even as convenience increases.
Alignment vs. Trust
Agentic AI is capable of optimizing for cost, speed, sustainability, or retailer margin. The question is not whether it can, but whose values it serves. If customers sense that optimization favors business objectives over their own, confidence erodes rapidly.
Trust is maintained only when alignment is explicit. Disclosing the rationale behind recommendations — for instance, “We suggested this product because it works with something you already own, has a 4+ star rating, and is rarely returned.”— demonstrates impartiality and builds confidence. For commerce leaders, explainability is not simply compliance; it is central to trust and adoption.
Personalization vs. Privacy
Personalization has long been a driver of digital commerce, and agentic AI intensifies its potential by drawing on deep datasets. Preferences, history, and contextual signals allow highly relevant experiences. Yet the more personal the data, the greater the risk of intrusion.
Rules, expectations, and cultural norms vary, so knowing when to hold back is just as important as having the capability. For example, a customer might love an agent suggesting, “We recommended this restaurant because it’s two miles from your office, matches your dietary preferences, and has a table available at your usual lunch time.” But without context, that same insight can feel invasive. Brands that get this balance right — offering personalized experiences without overstepping will earn lasting loyalty.
Efficiency vs. Depth
Agentic AI can collapse complex decision-making into a single prompt, delivering optimal recommendations instantly. For customers, the time savings are compelling. Retailers must allow buyers to engage in deep discovery sessions, and then tailor agentic-based experiences for the transactional component of the journey.
However, commerce is not purely functional. Exploration, discovery, and storytelling are central to brand affinity. If every journey is reduced to an algorithmic conclusion, richness of experience is lost. For example, a query such as “Find me the best laptop for design under $2,000” might generate an efficient shortlist, but customers should also be offered pathways to explore reviews, compare design aesthetics, or discover related accessories. Successful strategies will combine efficiency with moments of inspiration, ensuring transactions remain both useful and memorable.
Conclusion
Agentic AI is inevitable, but its value will be determined by the experience it creates. The true competitive edge lies in mastering the tension: innovating quickly enough to differentiate, while designing intentionally to ensure positive, human-centered outcomes.
In practice, this means every advance must be judged not only by its efficiency or intelligence, but by how it strengthens the customer journey and deepens loyalty. Convenience without control, personalization without privacy, or efficiency without depth will stall adoption. When agentic AI serves both customers and employees — enhancing trust, agency, and delight — it becomes a driver of sustainable growth.
In the end, innovation without adoption goes nowhere. Commerce leaders who center their end-users, acknowledging the push and pull they will feel as AI integrates into daily interactions, will not only capture market share but also build long-term brand resilience.
Curious how ready your organization is for AI?
Take our AI Readiness Diagnostic to evaluate your current state and uncover tailored next steps for driving measurable impact.
Keep learning
The Future of Customer Engagement: Achieving ROI with Loyalty, Personalization and AI
