Retailers Step Up Response as AI Takes the Lead in Shopping and Agentic Commerce Gains Momentum

KCCI Holds 41st Distribution Committee Meeting
Discusses Strategies to Respond to Agentic Commerce
AI to Handle Purchases, Going Beyond Product Searches and Comparisons

The retail industry is moving to secure its future competitiveness in response to the spread of "Agentic AI," which takes the lead in everything from searching for products to making purchase decisions and completing payments. As agentic commerce, in which AI searches for and purchases products on consumers' behalf, gains momentum, innovation in retailers' data and transaction infrastructure is emerging as a key challenge.

On November 13, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) held its 41st Distribution Committee meeting at Lotte Hotel Seoul in Sogong-dong, Seoul, under the theme "The Agentic AI Era: Changes in the Retail Industry and Future Competitiveness." About 30 people attended, including KCCI Executive Vice Chairman Kim Jeongil, Distribution Committee Chair Jeong Jiyoung, who is also CEO of Hyundai Department Store, heads of major retail companies in Korea, Korean Society of Distribution Science President Choi Jayoung, and executives from retail industry associations and organizations. They discussed strategies for the industry's future.

Exterior view of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Participants agreed that the retail industry urgently needs new growth engines amid intensifying competition among global platforms and rapidly changing consumer environments. In particular, they noted that personal assistant AI agents, such as Meta's "Muse," recently launched in the United States to help with everyday conversations and schedule management, are expanding into shopping, including product searches and comparisons.

Some also said that as agentic commerce, in which AI directly intervenes in consumers' purchasing processes, becomes a reality, the domestic retail industry must restructure its business models and operating systems and respond collectively.

In his keynote presentation, Kim Mingi, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) College of Business, said, "In the era of agentic commerce, the key is to understand how AI analyzes information and makes purchasing decisions, and how quickly a company can optimize its business environment and infrastructure accordingly."

Kim identified the following priorities for proactive response: turning field data into assets, building AI-integrated transaction infrastructure, and integrating online and offline services. He said data should be systematized so AI can quickly identify products and inventory, and that links between retail systems and AI infrastructure should be strengthened.

Distribution Committee Chair Jeong Jiyoung agreed on the importance of infrastructure innovation, while emphasizing the need to use it to differentiate the customer experience. "In the era of agentic AI, a company's true competitive edge will come from using its infrastructure to anticipate customers' daily needs and provide differentiated experiences," Jeong said.

She added, "Since individual companies can achieve only so much on their own, the committee will take the lead in finding new ways for the industry to grow together by broadly sharing best practices in infrastructure development and AI adoption, and working together."

Lee Heewon, head of the KCCI's Distribution and Logistics Promotion Agency, said, "Agentic commerce, which takes the lead in the entire process from search to payment, is a key to transforming retailers and taking their competitiveness to the next level." He added, "The KCCI will quickly research and share AI commerce trends and actively support the industry's ecosystem in growing together, including by holding related seminars."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.