Yelena Reznikova

We’re entering an era where AI agents don’t just assist customers — they become the customer. They will search, decide, and transact at machine speed, reshaping the retail journey from discovery to checkout.

For retailers, this is more than a technology trend. It’s a profound shift in belief about what’s possible in commerce: transactions without touchpoints, payments without clicks, and loyalty without direct human interaction. Companies like OpenAI are building consumer-facing agents, while retailers like VF Corporation are evaluating the seismic changes this brings to brand, margin, and customer trust.

At the center of this revolution is payments infrastructure. In an agentic economy, retailers must ensure that authorization, fraud detection, and settlement happen in real time — invisible, secure, and instant. Insert operational efficiencies here. Adyen is helping lead this transformation, ensuring trust is built into every transaction where agents talk to agents.