AI, Agents and the Future of Shopping: How Agentic Commerce Will Reshape Retail

Simon Ellis, Head of AI Transformation and Enterprise Architecture at Pets at Home, on what happens to retail when an AI agent rather than a person does the browsing and the buying. The talk works through the shopping journey disappearing: agents that understand intent, research products, compare alternatives, negotiate trade-offs and complete transactions. Ellis covers what OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Shopify are building, and what it does to the things retailers currently compete on — site design, search rankings, advertising, merchandising, brand loyalty. The uncomfortable questions get asked directly: who owns the customer relationship when an agent decides, and are retailers selling to people or to other agents. Manchester Statistical Society hosts at Cross Street Chapel, 18:00 to 20:00, free, with coffee from 17:30. Entrance on Cross Street at Chapel Walks, opposite Pret; use the intercom. Why go: a retail AI lead being specific about his own industry's exposure rather than discussing agents in the abstract. Best for retail, ecommerce and marketing people, and anyone building agents that transact.