Marketplaces have been redefining retail for more than two decades, but we are now at a major inflection point. Just as the rise of ecommerce transformed the way people buy and sell, the emergence of Agentic AI, autonomous, reasoning-capable AI systems, promises to rewrite the rules again.
We’ve already seen marketplaces evolve from simple product listings to fully integrated shopping ecosystems, where recommendations, discovery and customer support are deeply powered by algorithms. The next chapter will take this even further, with AI agents actively shopping on behalf of consumers, negotiating deals and curating personalized, cross-channel product experiences.
It’s true that AI has come a long way in a few short years, but we’re only in the first stage of a much bigger, long-term shift. The best of AI is still to come, especially for high-impact industries like ecommerce.
First, AI is Still on the Rise
Investor behavior can tell us a lot. When people invest in technology, they expect long-term capital growth, not a quick profit. So, by looking at the current stock price of a company like Nvidia (which makes crucial chips for AI), we can get a good indicator of AI’s future trajectory in the coming years.
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In the last 10 years, the stock’s value has increased by an inspiring 20,000%. In other words, if you invested $1000 in Nvidia back in 2015, it would be worth more than $201,000 today.
Not bad, but here’s the important bit: Nvidia stock is still valued highly today because the investor consensus is that it will be worth even more in the future. In other words, there is still plenty of future growth in the AI sector.
This rapid growth in AI investment isn’t just about backend infrastructure. It’s already reshaping the front-end shopping experience in marketplaces around the world.
From Search to Intent-Driven Shopping
In the early days, marketplaces like Ebay or Amazon primarily offered a searchable catalog. Success meant mastering keyword optimization and competitive pricing. Then came the algorithmic era, machine learning models starting to drive recommendations, dynamic pricing and targeted ads.
Now, we’re moving into the Agentic AI era, where AI doesn’t just react to a user’s search but proactively identifies, evaluates and purchases products based on a shopper’s intent, context and constraints. Instead of typing queries and applying filters, consumers will be able to say:
- “Find me eco-friendly, size 8 running shoes under $150 that can be delivered before Friday.”
- “I’m hosting a dinner for six; get me everything I’ll need, including wine, decor and dessert.”
Within seconds, an AI agent will compile the perfect set of items, often spanning multiple marketplaces and retailers, and present them in a unified checkout experience.
This is not a distant future. Marketplaces already are moving in this direction. Amazon has added AI-powered review summaries, the Rufus conversational shopping assistant and visual search through Amazon Lens. In China, platforms like Alibaba and JD.com are embedding AI agents that allow shoppers to describe their needs in natural language, returning ready-to-purchase solutions.
The Impact for Retailers and Brands
For retailers and ecommerce brands, Agentic AI is a competitive necessity. The marketplace “shop window” is no longer just the search results page. It’s now an AI decision-making process that decides which products get surfaced and in what order.
Success in this environment depends on:
- Structured, AI-ready product data: Descriptions, specifications, and attributes must be precise, complete and optimized for AI interpretation, not just human reading.
- Cross-channel readiness: Agentic AI will pull from multiple platforms at once, so consistency in product data, availability, and pricing across all channels is essential.
- Real-time inventory and pricing sync: AI agents will prioritize offers that are accurate and instantly actionable. If your data is stale, your products risk being excluded entirely.
- Intent-based merchandising: Shoppers will search by need, not just product name — meaning retailers must align product information to match scenarios, problems and use cases.
We’ve seen this before. Early ecommerce success depended on being visible to search engines. Then, marketplace optimization became key. Now, AI discoverability is the new battleground. Instead of focusing solely on keywords for humans, brands must consider how AI will interpret their data, align with buyer intent and match real-world scenarios to the right products.
Why this Matters for Your Channel Strategy
In the Agentic ecommerce era, AI interfaces will become a major sales channel in their own right. Retailers and brands must treat them with the same priority they currently give to marketplace SEO, paid ads or social commerce.
That means:
- Optimizing for AI discoverability in the same way we once optimized for Google search.
- Treating AI platforms as partners in the buying journey, not just passive referrers.
- Building agility into your tech stack so you can rapidly integrate with new AI-powered channels as they emerge.
Marketplaces as AI Gateways
One of the most significant implications of this shift is speed and consolidation. A single AI interface could pull product offers from Amazon, niche marketplaces, social commerce platforms and direct-to-consumer webstores into one seamless recommendation. Over time, shoppers may bypass traditional browsing entirely, trusting their AI assistant to manage discovery and comparison for them.
In this model, the marketplace’s role changes from being the destination to being one of several inputs in an AI-led decision. Retailers that adapt early will thrive; those that do not may find themselves invisible in an AI-mediated world.
Preparing for the Challenges Ahead
No one yet knows which AI interfaces will dominate or how quickly consumers will trust them to make purchases. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that once a new shopping method proves its value, adoption can accelerate rapidly.
The best preparation is proactive readiness. That means consolidating product information, ensuring data accuracy and keeping technology agile enough to integrate with new AI-powered channels as soon as they emerge. It also means treating AI interfaces as a core sales channel (not as an afterthought) within your broader channel strategy.
Meeting the Shopper Where Their AI is
The evolution of marketplaces has always been about meeting consumers where they are. Now, it’s about meeting them where their AI is. In the Agentic AI era, visibility won’t just depend on having the lowest price or the most appealing image. It will depend on whether your products can speak the language of AI clearly and convincingly.
Retailers that make that shift now will not only be prepared for the next phase of ecommerce, they will be shaping it.
Jordi Vermeer, VP of Revenue, leads the North American expansion for ChannelEngine, Inc. a leading global ecommerce marketplace integrator. Vermeer has worked in ecommerce for the past eight years with a significant focus on empowering businesses to successfully benefit from the growing dominance of marketplaces. Through his passion for helping people and companies, Vermeer thrives on maximizing revenue for brands and retailers by leading the conversation on cross-border strategies and implementation. Outside of work, he finds joy in surfing and sailing.
