1、2026In partnership with:Commerce AIJUNE 20262|RetailX|May 2026RXVAI26RP 2026 COMMERCE AI REPORT 2026|INTRODUCTIONAI has rapidly become the defining conversation in modern commerce,yet many businesses are simultaneously struggling to separate meaningful transformation from noise,hype and vendor promi
2、ses.This uncertainty exists because AI is not arriving as a single technology shift,instead reshaping commerce from multiple directions simulataneously.Consumers are beginning to use external AI tools such as ChatGPT,Gemini and Perplexity to discover,compare and evaluate products before they ever vi
3、sit a retailer website.Retailers are deploying AI-powered experiences designed to simplify shopping,personalise engagement and reduce friction across increasingly complex digital journeys.Internally,businesses are embedding AI into operations,forecasting,logistics,content production and decision-mak
4、ing in ways that fundamentally alter how organisations function.At the same time,boards and investors are confronting much larger strategic questions around data ownership,competitive advantage,platform dependency and enterprise value in an AI-driven economy.These are the four pillars of Commerce AI
5、 and it is these that this report explores.The first pillar,External AI,examines how AI assistants,conversational search and emerging agentic shopping systems are changing the balance of power between consumers,retailers and platforms.Increasingly,the customer journey begins outside retailer-control
6、led Introductionenvironments,forcing businesses to rethink discovery,trust and visibility in an AI-mediated market.The second,Experience AI,focuses on the AI systems retailers and brands build for customers directly.Here,the challenge is redesigning digital commerce experiences around simplification