A new survey of consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies suggests growing interest in AI agents as brands look to manage increasingly complex e-commerce operations.
The research, conducted by CommerceIQ and based on responses from 240 CPG leaders, found that 80 percent of respondents are open to shifting budget toward AI-driven systems. Many cited limitations in current operating models, including slow decision-making and difficulty turning data into actionable insights.
According to the survey, 46 percent of respondents said their data is not actionable, while 42 percent said decision-making takes too long. More than half also reported that agency costs are too high relative to results.
The findings point to a shift toward what CommerceIQ describes as “agentic retail,” where AI systems monitor performance and take action across areas including pricing, retail media and product content in near real time.
“The current operating model isn’t failing due to a lack of effort; it is structurally mismatched to the reality of algorithmic commerce,” said Guru Hariharan, CEO of CommerceIQ. “While human teams operate on weekly review cycles, algorithms are shifting buy box ownership by the hour and adjusting retail media bids in milliseconds.”
CommerceIQ said early deployments of its AI agents have led to significant efficiency gains, including faster execution of routine ecommerce tasks. One cited example involved automating content workflows for a large consumer brand, reducing manual effort and increasing processing speed.
Despite the interest, respondents indicated that concerns around data quality, transparency and system integration remain barriers to broader adoption.