Online shopping could soon become a very different experience from the one we know today.
Not because products or eCommerce platforms will change, but because a growing share of purchasing decisions could be delegated to an Artificial Intelligence agent.
Agentic Commerce describes a model in which consumers no longer need to manually search for every product, compare dozens of offers, or select every single available option. Instead, an AI assistant will handle much of this process, following the preferences, constraints, and habits defined by the user.
To some extent, this evolution has already begun. More and more people are using Artificial Intelligence tools to find the right product for a specific need, compare alternatives, or identify the best value for money. Today, however, the final decision and purchase still remain in the user’s hands. Agentic Commerce represents the next step: AI does not simply make recommendations but can autonomously search, compare, select, and purchase the most suitable product while respecting the consumer’s preferences.
But this evolution raises a question that is still receiving relatively little attention: who will decide how the order is delivered?
Delivery method, carrier, parcel locker, or pick-up point are decisions that today are left to the consumer. Tomorrow, they could become part of the same automated process through which AI selects the best product.
Starting from the concept of Agentic Commerce, in this article we explore how Artificial Intelligence could transform the purchasing process, why logistics will also become an AI-driven decision, and what role interoperability and Out-of-Home networks will play in enabling this evolution.
What Is Agentic Commerce?
Agentic Commerce refers to a new eCommerce model in which an Artificial Intelligence agent can autonomously perform many of the activities that consumers currently carry out themselves.
In practice, users will no longer need to compare dozens of products, visit multiple websites, or manually complete every step of the purchasing process. They will simply need to define a goal and a set of preferences. For example: “Find the best hiking backpack under €150 and make sure it is delivered by Friday.”
The AI agent will analyse the available options, compare prices, delivery times, reviews, and commercial terms, and identify the most suitable solution based on the consumer’s requirements.
The goal, therefore, is not to replace the consumer, but to simplify the decision-making process and reduce the time required to complete a purchase.
Logistics Becomes an AI Decision Too
But let’s take this one step further. If AI is going to manage the entire purchasing process, it will inevitably have to make decisions that today belong to the logistics side of the experience.
Identifying the best product will no longer be enough. The agent will also need to determine which delivery option best matches the user’s preferences, choosing between home delivery, collection from a store or pick-up point, a parcel locker, a specific carrier, or the most convenient delivery time slot. In some cases, it might even prioritise the most sustainable option, the least expensive one, or the solution that gets the product to the consumer as quickly as possible.
In other words, logistics becomes an integral part of the decision-making process rather than simply a stage that follows the purchase.
If Logistics Becomes an AI Decision, AI Needs Interoperable Networks
For this scenario to become a reality, however, increasingly sophisticated algorithms alone will not be enough. Artificial Intelligence can make effective decisions only when it has access to a rich ecosystem of data, services, and comparable options.
In logistics, this means being able to access networks operated by different providers, compare thousands of pick-up points and parcel lockers, and check availability, delivery times, and service characteristics. The more interoperable these infrastructures become, the better AI will be able to identify the solution that truly best meets each individual user’s needs.
Interoperability, therefore, is not simply an operational advantage: it becomes a prerequisite for the development of Agentic Commerce.
Delegating Decisions Does Not Mean Giving Up Control
At first glance, the idea of Artificial Intelligence making choices on our behalf may seem like giving up control. In reality, the principle is quite different, and this is an important distinction to make.
Users will continue to define their own preferences, while leaving the agent to apply them automatically. They could decide, for example, to always prioritise a parcel locker near their workplace, avoid home deliveries, choose the most sustainable option whenever available, or prioritise the least expensive solution.
In other words, AI will not replace consumer preferences. It will simply put them into action, making fast, automatic, and consistent decisions on the user’s behalf.
How GEL Proximity Enables the Future of Agentic Commerce
For an AI agent, choosing the best delivery option does not simply mean identifying the parcel locker or pick-up point closest to the consumer. It means being able to compare a large number of alternatives in real time, simultaneously evaluating factors such as distance, availability, delivery times, costs, sustainability, and user preferences.
For this to be possible, however, Artificial Intelligence needs access to a broad, interoperable, and easily accessible ecosystem. If every parcel locker or pick-up point network were isolated from the others, the AI agent would have to interact with dozens of different platforms, making a truly optimal assessment virtually impossible.
Thanks to GEL Proximity, retailers, marketplaces, and logistics operators can access more than 1,000,000 parcel lockers and pick-up points worldwide, connecting networks operated by different providers within a single interoperable ecosystem through one integration.
This infrastructure already simplifies the management of Out-of-Home networks today and, looking ahead, can also provide the technological foundation that enables AI agents to automatically compare all available options and identify the most suitable delivery solution for each individual user.
In other words, Artificial Intelligence will only be able to make truly effective decisions if it has the freedom to choose from a broad, connected ecosystem such as GEL Proximity’s, rather than from individual, isolated networks.
The Future of eCommerce Will Not Be Only Conversational
When we talk about Artificial Intelligence in digital commerce today, attention often focuses on new conversational interfaces. Yet the most significant transformation could actually happen behind the scenes.
The real evolution is not simply about interacting with a virtual assistant, but about delegating an increasing share of the decisions involved in a purchase.
In this scenario, logistics is no longer simply the final stage of the process. Instead, it becomes one of the factors that determine the quality of the entire customer experience. The future of eCommerce, therefore, will depend not only on how intelligent AI becomes, but also on the ability of logistics infrastructures to give it the freedom to choose the best possible solution.
How to Prepare for the Next Step in eCommerce
It is becoming increasingly clear that Agentic Commerce will redefine the way consumers shop online and the role of logistics within the customer experience. Building open, interoperable, and connected networks means preparing today for this evolution.
With GEL Proximity, you can integrate more than 1,000,000 parcel lockers and pick-up points worldwide through a single connection, creating the infrastructure needed to offer increasingly intelligent and flexible delivery experiences that are ready for the AI era.
Discover how to build tomorrow’s logistics today: contact us now for a personalised demo.
