Retailers and manufacturers are being urged to prepare for agentic AI, as autonomous systems begin to reshape how grocery shopping decisions are made. New research from IGD suggests the shift could be more disruptive than previous waves of digital change.
Unlike generative AI, which responds to prompts by producing content or recommendations, agentic AI operates independently. It can plan, decide and execute actions on a shopper’s behalf, from building a basket to completing a purchase. It resembles the Dash Button, which 15 years ago let consumers reorder laundry detergent at the press of a button—but it failed and was quickly withdrawn.
Food and grocery shopping is particularly suited to automation due to its habitual and repetitive nature. Agentic AI is already capable of automating replenishment, comparing prices and availability across retailers, optimising choices based on health, budget or sustainability preferences, and completing checkout without human input. In markets where adoption is advancing, autonomous shopping assistants and AI-driven meal planning are moving beyond pilots into real-world use. This autonomy has major implications for how products are discovered, chosen and bought.
As basket decisions increasingly shift from people to algorithms, traditional retail touchpoints risk losing influence. Product choice becomes less about shelf visibility or impulse and more about how brands are surfaced, ranked and selected by AI agents. For manufacturers, this raises the risk of “algorithmic invisibility” if products are not optimised for machine decision-making.
While adoption levels remain low today, IGD warns that uptake could accelerate quickly once trust is established. Convenience tends to drive habit, and habit creates long-term lock-in.