AI agents push APAC retailers into machine search

Brands risk weaker visibility as automated shopping systems increasingly influence product discovery pricing and purchasing decisions.

Asia Pacific retailers and consumer goods companies are under pressure to adapt as AI-powered shopping agents increasingly influence how consumers search, compare, and buy products online.

Asia Pacific is projected to generate around two-thirds of global new retail sales over the next five years, driven by more than 4.3 billion shoppers, 18 megacities, and one of the world’s fastest-growing middle-class populations, according to Deloitte’s Future of Commerce Report.

The report found almost three-quarters of Asia Pacific consumers already use AI to discover, compare, and learn about products, increasing pressure on retailers to stay visible inside machine-led recommendation systems.

Vanessa Matthijssen, Deloitte Asia Pacific’s Future of Commerce Leader, said AI agents are moving beyond recommendations into automated purchasing decisions.

“We are getting much more comfortable with agents acting and buying on our behalf,” Matthijssen said. “They select, pay, and even schedule your deliveries without your involvement.”

She warned retailers and FMCG brands risk becoming “irrelevant or invisible to the consumer” if products are not structured for machine-led discovery.

“For retailers and FMCGs, that means they are competing not just for human attention but for machine preference,” she said.

Sebastian Rodriguez, Chief Technology Officer at foodpanda, said AI systems are already changing retail operations through recommendation engines, merchant tools, pricing systems, and inventory forecasting.

“At foodpanda, AI is already being applied across the ecosystem,” Rodriguez said.

He said platforms are using AI to personalise recommendations based on past orders, visited merchants, and customer behaviour, whilst helping merchants forecast inventory needs and adjust pricing in real time.

Rodriguez said many smaller merchants still lack the digital capabilities, structured data, and operational capacity needed to use AI effectively.

“The challenge is about making AI practical, accessible, and immediately valuable for the merchants,” he said.

The interview also exposed a gap between AI investment and operational readiness. Deloitte said 29% of Asia Pacific consumer businesses currently use agentic AI, with adoption expected to rise to 76% within two years.

More than half already have live AI implementations across IT, cybersecurity, marketing, sales, and customer support, but only around 30% report that at least 40% of AI initiatives reach production.

“For most retailers, over 60% of their AI initiatives don't move beyond experimentation,” Matthijssen said.

Industry forecasts suggest AI agents could influence as much as 25% of global e-commerce sales by 2030, raising the cost of slow adoption for retailers still reliant on manual pricing, targeting, and demand planning.