What: Official, brand-backed AI agents are now a key competitive differentiator, directly shaping consumer preference and loyalty.

Why it is important: The rise of conversational AI and agentic commerce is accelerating the need for brands to deliver secure, seamless, and trusted experiences across all digital touchpoints.

The Valtech report, "The Era of Conversational Commerce," reveals that conversational AI has evolved from a support tool into the primary interface for customer discovery, evaluation, and purchase decisions in retail. Consumers are no longer satisfied with generic assistance; they increasingly seek official, brand-backed AI agents that provide authoritative information and trustworthy guidance. This shift is profound, as 43% of consumers say they would choose a brand offering an official AI agent over one that does not, and nearly 20% would switch brands or abandon a task if their preferred AI environment lacks such an agent. The report highlights that mainstream adoption is already underway, with over 70% of respondents willing to complete purchases within AI chat apps. However, trust remains a critical barrier, particularly regarding payment security and privacy, while expectations for seamless, guided experiences continue to rise. Brands that fail to orchestrate conversational AI across all digital touchpoints risk losing relevance, as consumer behavior is outpacing organizational readiness. The competitive landscape is now defined by the credibility and presence of brand-backed AI agents.

IADS Notes: The Valtech report’s depiction of conversational AI as the new decision and transaction environment in retail is substantiated by a wave of industry evidence from the past year. As highlighted in February 2026, over 70% of consumers are now willing to complete purchases within AI chat apps, a trend mirrored by the exponential growth of AI-assisted shopping and the urgent need for retailers to redesign digital platforms for AI compatibility, as noted by Journal du Net in January 2026. The emergence of official, brand-backed AI agents as a competitive differentiator is reinforced by Retail Touchpoints’ January 2026 findings, which show measurable gains in efficiency and customer experience for early adopters, while the Financial Times and McKinsey in late 2025 warned that brands failing to engage with AI risk losing visibility and direct customer relationships. Trust and payment security have become critical, with Techcrunch and Inside Retail in autumn 2025 documenting the rise of secure, agent-ready payment protocols and the demand for transparency in AI-led transactions. The maturity gap between consumer expectations and organisational readiness is evident, with Forbes and BCG reporting that most retailers are struggling to keep pace with the rapid evolution of consumer behaviour. Finally, the imperative for orchestrating conversational AI across all digital touchpoints is exemplified by Liverpool’s omnichannel agentic AI deployment in November 2025 and the sector-wide shift toward hyperpersonalized, multichannel engagement, as seen in the BCG and ElevenLabs partnership in February 2026.

The era of conversational commerce