More than three-quarters of companies now use artificial intelligence (AI) in at least one of their business operations, according to McKinsey & Company.
But as AI constantly evolves, so do the ways businesses use the technology. In recent years, generative AI (GenAI) — which generates entirely new content from data, images, and text — has become integrated into everyday processes through tools like ChatGPT and automation platforms.
Now, a new AI technology is emerging that may once again upend how businesses operate: agentic AI. More computer systems are using AI agents to streamline workflows and orchestrate various business processes.
Steve Engelbrecht, CEO and founder of Sitation, an ecommerce consulting firm, and Sara de Oliveira Lima, senior consumer experience manager at healthcare innovation giant Philips, recently spoke at Salsify’s 2025 Digital Shelf Summit (DSS) about what this means for brands.
Here’s their perspective on the rise of agentic AI, the future of AI in ecommerce, and how this could reshape brands’ approach to business transformation.
What Is Agentic AI?
Agentic AI is semi- or fully autonomous and empowered to make decisions independently, unlike earlier forms of AI that relied more heavily on human guidance.
AI agents have access to tools, such as core business systems, files, and databases, and can detect when they’re needed to perform certain tasks. They also possess scope, memory, and context, and are capable of performing multi-step processes, rather than simply responding to prompts like conversational AI interfaces such as ChatGPT.
“The difference of what agentic means is that it starts to take on an ability to do real work,” Engelbrecht says. “It's no longer just operating in a bubble of having a live conversation.”
Engelbrecht adds that AI agents’ biggest advantage may be their ability to enhance human ingenuity.
“We, as human workers working with them, can start to think about these [AI agents] as human-like colleagues. We can speak to them. We can train them. We can give them feedback.”
For employees and the entire enterprise, Agentic AI is a “value multiplier,” Engelbrecht says, and there are several ways brands can maximize this technology to accelerate their digital transformation.
Agentic AI Opportunities for Brands
Engelbrecht references one company that reduced the item setup process from five months, on average, to two weeks per product by implementing an agentic AI workflow. This optimization not only saved time, but it also saved money.
“You have the direct value of that savings,” Engelbrecht says. “Then, there's the boost of having that product live in the market sooner. Then there's the catalog expanding.”
Brands can also apply agentic AI to:
- Slow, inefficient processes
- Mundane tasks
- Project rework
- Processes or activities that cost or lose money
For all the benefits AI offers, like any new technology, businesses have to create a framework for how to use and govern it.
Harnessing Tech as a ‘Value Multiplier’ at Philips
Philips has a distinctive approach to integrating new technologies, like AI, into its operations. Its process could be instructive for other companies trying to navigate this change.
The company approaches business transformation with the end in mind, thinking first about its end goal and then working backwards to align its tech stack with this objective, de Oliveira Lima says.
“I think our primary KPI [key performance indicator] — and probably the reason why we're all here — is how can we increase speed to market? That’s really the main driver we're looking at when we’re thinking about where we want to fix things,” she says.
Philips prioritizes data control and integrity, which is critical when using technologies like AI that rely on organizational data to automate and streamline processes.
Giving Stakeholders What They Need and Building Buy-In
Clear rules of engagement and ownership between local and national teams enable Philips to establish good data governance. It also ensures the right stakeholders have access to the relevant data they need to do their jobs and advance the company’s strategic goals.
Building buy-in is also a critical part of the process. Whether it’s with AI or another emerging technology, leaders need to make a compelling case for how it will enable stakeholders to work more effectively, de Oliveira Lima says.
“A what's-in-it-for-you approach becomes super important,” she says. But ultimately, it’s all about identifying big problems within the business and using technology to address them.
“We need to move away from — at least from my organizational perspective — this operations-only perspective and look at the end-to-end. It really comes down to driving change from beginning to the end … really road mapping and planning, ‘Where do I want to take this and how do I get the most out of this tool?’,” de Oliveira Lima says.
Preparing for AI-Led Business Transformation
AI is reimagining the future of commerce. With the rise of agentic AI, brands now have even more opportunity to transform how they operate internally and engage consumers.
But before brands implement agentic AI or any new technology, they need to have a framework for success. Engelbrecht says this framework should encompass the following:
- Defining objectives and goals
- Analyzing current processes
- Assessing data quality and availability
- Identifying automation opportunities
- Evaluating the organization’s technological readiness
- Considering regulatory and compliance factors
- Engaging stakeholders
- Conducting pilot testing
- Measuring success and iterating
As Philips implements new AI tooling to optimize product information management, it’s particularly focused on the third pillar in this framework — assessing data quality and availability.
The company intends to improve data quality upstream to deliver more impactful automations downstream. This effort will improve translation accuracy and reduce the potential risk of compliance issues caused by AI misinterpreting language across global markets, de Oliveira Lima says.
AI: The Ultimate Business Transformation Enabler
AI isn’t just the ultimate “value multiplier,” it’s also the ultimate business transformation enabler. But brands can only realize this benefit if they have a framework for where and when to apply the technology and how to responsibly use it.
Either way, Engelbrecht says he’s bullish about the technology’s future in ecommerce.
“Some of the initial shine has worn off now about just how incredible AI is,” he says. “But we're now coming into a time where we're seeing what the next generation of this technology means.”
.svg)
