mckinsey-欧洲智能体商业时代来临 决策影响力已然显现落地应用即将到来 Europes agentic commerce moment Decision influence is here;execution is coming

March2026

Europe’sagentic

commercemoment:

Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming

AnewsurveyshowsthatEuropeanconsumersareusingAItoshapewhattheybuy,butnothowtheybuy—atleastnotyet.

ThisarticleisacollaborativeeffortbyKatharinaSchumacher,MarcusKeutel,andPhilippKluge,withKatharinaGiebelandTiffanyWendler,representingviewsfromQuantumBlack,AIbyMcKinsey.

BeforeaEuropeanconsumerpurchasesaproduct,anAItoolmayalreadyhavenarrowedthefieldtothreeoptions—andexplainedwhyoneofthemfailedtomakethecut.

Thisisthenear-termrealityofagenticcommerce:AI-mediateddiscoveryandevaluationare

scalingquickly,evenasfullautonomyremainslimited.Whilefullyautonomousbotsarenot

buyingeverythingonourbehalf,AIisfastbecomingtheprimaryinterfacefordiscovery,

comparison,andrecommendation—thepointintheconsumerjourneywherepreferencesformandwinnersemerge.Thestakesareconsiderable:

McKinseyresearch

estimatesthatby2030,agenticcommercecouldorchestrate$3trillionto$5trillionglobally,1asAIagentsincreasinglyinfluencediscovery,decision-making,andtransactionsacrosscategories.GivenEurope’sshareofglobalconsumption,evenmoderateadoptionscenarioswouldtranslateintomaterialimpactacrossEuropeanretailandconsumersectors.

Forleaders,thestrategicquestionisshifting.It’snolongersimply“Howdoweconvert

customers?”It’s“Howdoweremainvisibleandpersuasivewhenthefirst‘customer’inthe

funnelisnotahuman,butanAIagent?”WhenevaluationmovesintoAI-mediatedinterfaces,

traditionalleverssuchasplacement,advertising,anduserexperiencematterlessthanwhetheranofferingisretrievable,comparable,anddefensibleinanAI’slogic.

NewconsumerresearchfromFrance,Germany,andtheUnitedKingdomsuggeststhatEuropeisalreadyenteringthatphase.MostrespondentsreportusingAItoolsintheireverydaypersonalorprofessionallives,andusageisnotconfinedtoexperimentation.ConsumersareapplyingAI

topracticaldecisionsupport:researchingtopics,synthesizinginformation,andincreasingly

shapingpurchasedecisions.Thesetoolsspangeneral-purposeassistantsaswellasretailer-embeddedbotsandthird-partyshoppingagents,eachwithdifferentincentivesandeconomicmodels.

ThisarticleexamineshowEuropeanconsumersarealreadyintegratingAIintotheirshopping

journeys.OurresearchshowsthatAI—whethertoolssuchasChatGPTandGeminiorbrand-

ownedagentsandembeddedagenticexperiences—israpidlybecomingtheprimaryinterface

fordiscovery,comparison,and,increasingly,transactioninitiation.Itishere,atthisearlystageofthejourney,thatpreferencesareshaped,considerationsetsareformed,andcompetitive

advantageiswonorlost.Fullyautonomousshoppingagents,meanwhile,willevolveatdifferentspeedsandplateauatdifferentlevelsacrosscategoriesandusecases,notalwaysmovingall

thewaytocomplete,end-to-endautonomy.Buttheconsumerbehaviorsweareseeing

today—suchasAI-ledcomparison,synthesisofoptions,contextualrecommendations,andbasketassembly—areleadingindicatorsofdeeperdelegationtocome.

1KatharinaSchumacher,RogerRoberts,andKatharinaGiebel,Theagenticcommerceopportunity:HowAIagentsareushering

in

aneweraforconsumersandmerchants

,McKinsey,October17,2025.

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming2

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming3

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming4

AIisalreadymainstreaminEurope’sconsumerdecisionjourney

InarecentMcKinseyconsumersurveyacrossFrance,Germany,andtheUnitedKingdom,84percentofrespondentsreportusingAItoolsineverydaylife.2Themostcommonusecases

includeresearchinggeneraltopics(57percent)andwritingandimprovingcontent(44

percent).Whenitcomestoresearchingproductsandservicesordecidingwhattopurchase,38percentreportusingAItools(Exhibit1).

Exhibit1

Alisnowmainstreamindailylife,withmorethanathirdofconsumersinEuropeusingittoinformshoppingdecisions.

1Question:ForwhichofthefollowingusecaseshaveyouusedAtools(eg,chatGPT,GoogleAloverview,Gemini,perplexity,Microsoftcopilot,claude,Grok)inthepast3months?

source:MckinseyconsumerAIDiscoverysurvey,Dec2025

Mckinsey&company

2

McKinseyConsumerAIDiscoverySurvey,December2025,basedonasampleof749respondentsacrossFrance(n=102),Germany(n=401),andtheUnitedKingdom(n=246).

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming5

Ourdatashowsthat,forEuropeanconsumers,AIisshowingupmoststronglyupstreamofthetransaction,atthepointwherepreferencesareformedandoptionsarenarrowed(Exhibit2).EuropeanconsumersmostfrequentlyuseAIforthefollowing:

—comparingbrands,models,prices,andreviews(63percent)

—learningaboutacategoryorproduct(55percent)

—discoveringnewproductsandgettinginspired(46percent)

Exhibit2

EuropeanconsumersprimarilyuseAlupstreamintheshoppingjourney.EuropeangenAlusageacrosstheshoppingjourney,'%ofrespondents(n=749)

Awarenessconsiderationandpurchasepostpurchase

4

Discovery/inspiration

Discoveringnew

brands,gettinggiftideas,exploring

productstylesortrends

55

Learningaboutacategory/product

understanding

productfeatures,differencesbe-

tweenmodels,orhowaproduct

categoryworks

comparingoptions

comparingspecifi-cationsacross

brandsandmodels;weighingtrade-offsonprice,quality,orreviews

33

Buildingoropti-mizingbasket

ldentifyingcheapersubstitutes,findingcompatiblealterna-tives,optimizingfordeliveryspeedor

availability

3

postpurchasesupport

Troubleshootingissues,initiatingreturns,trackingorders,orresolv-ingclaims

21

Repurchase/replenishment

Reorderingprevi-ouslypurchaseditemsorrestock-inghousehold

staples

1Question:ForwhichpartsoftheshoppingjourneyhaveyouusedAtoolsinthepast3months?source:MckinseyconsumerADiscoverysurvey,Dec2025

Mckinsey&company

Significantly,usagedeclinesasactivitiesmoveclosertoexecution(forexample,building

basketsandcompletingcheckout).Theresultspointtoaclearsequencingeffect:AIisbeing

adoptedfirstasadecision-supportlayer,compressingresearch,comparison,andsynthesisthatpreviouslyrequiredmultiplesitesandsources.Butthesituationischangingfast:SomeAI

environmentsarebeginningtoconnectrecommendationsdirectlytoembeddedpurchaseoptions,suggestingthatconversationalcommercemayscalebeforefullyautonomous

delegationdoes.

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming6

Inpractice,thismeansdecisioninfluenceisscalingfasterthanexecutioninfrastructureor

consumertrustinautonomy.Theimplicationissubtlebutsignificant.Bythetimeaconsumerarrivesataretailerorbrandinterface,muchoftheevaluativeworkmayalreadyhavebeen

completedwithinAI-mediatedworkflowsorinterfaces.

Thisdoesnotmeanexecutioncanbedeprioritized:Payments,identity,andauthorizationaretheenablingrailsthatwilldeterminewhocapturesdemandasdelegationexpands.Asagentic

capabilitiesmature,thequestionwillnotsimplybewhethercheckoutbecomesautomated,butwhere,when,andforwhichcategoriesconsumerschoosetodelegatefurther.Asweexploreinourrecentarticle,“

Theautomationcurveinagenticcommerce

,”delegationisunlikelytoexpanduniformly;instead,itwillscaleselectively,shapedbytrust,regretrisk,andtherolehuman

involvementplaysinthevalueoftheexperience.3Emerginginfrastructure,includingopen

standardsforagent-ledcommerceandpayments—suchastheAgenticCommerceProtocol

(ACP),Agent2Agent(A2A),AgentPaymentsProtocol(AP2),andUniversalCommerceProtocol(UCP)—isbeginningtocreatetherailsthatcouldacceleratethatshiftovertime.

Trustconcentratesonjudgment,notagency

EuropeanconsumersdrawaclearlineonhowtheytrustAIacrosstheshoppingjourney.TrustishighestwhenAIsupportsjudgmentbutdropssharplyasitmovestowardaction.ConsumersaremostcomfortablewithAIthatsummarizesreviews,highlightstrade-offs,comparesoptions,andrecommendsa“best”choice—usecasesthathelppeoplereasonbetterwithoutsurrendering

control(Exhibit3).Bycontrast,trustdeclinessteadilyasAIapproachesexecution—particularlyforprefillingbaskets,completingcheckout,orautomaticallyreorderingitems.

ThisshouldnotbereadasabroadreferendumonAIcapability.Thedatasuggestsomething

morespecific:ConsumersarenotrejectingAIjudgment;theyareresistingunboundedauthority.ComfortishighestwhenAIactionsarereversible,explicitlyauthorized,andeasytoaudit—and

lowestwhenactionsarepersistent,opaque,ordifficulttoundo.Seenthroughthislens,trustislessaboutwhetherAIcanactandmoreaboutwhetherconsumerscanseehowdecisionsweremade,understandwhoisaccountable,andintervenewhenneeded.Inmanycases,AIinfluenceisalreadyoccurringwithinconversationalinterfacesthatcanembedpurchasepathwaysdirectlyintochatenvironments,reshapingwherediscoveryandcheckoutbegin.Nonetheless,

consumers,byandlarge,aremorewillingtooutsourcecognitionthancontrol.

Forconsumercompanies,thestrategicquestionbecomeshowtodesignagenticexperiencesthatmakereasoningvisible,authorityexplicit,andresponsibilityclear.Systemsthatforegroundexplanation,confirmation,andhumanoverridearelikelytoearntrustfasterthanthosethat

solelyoptimizeforautomation.Adoptionwillexpandfirstinbounded,episodicuse

cases—decisionsupport,optionnarrowing,andassistedcheckout—beforeextendinginto

ongoingorfullyautonomousexecution.Itwillbeuptoorganizationstotreattrustasaproductcapability,ratherthanacommunicationsproblem.

3“

Theautomationcurveinagenticcommerce

,”McKinsey,January28,2026.

Exhibit3

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming7

EuropeanrespondentstrustAmostforevaluativejudgment,butfarlessforautonomousactions.

EuropeanconsumerstrustinAltoolsduringshoppingjourney,'

Hightrust2oLowtrust3

Question:HowmuchwouldyoutrustgenAItoolstosupportyouinthefollowingshoppingactions?

2Trustalot"and"fullytrust."

3Trustalittle"and"donottrustatall."

source:MckinseyconsumerADiscoverysurvey,Dec2025

Mckinsey&company

Categoryadoptionisbroadbased,withmodestdifferencesbyusecase

Atanaggregatelevel,thesurveyrevealsaclear,somewhatcounterintuitivepattern:UseofAItoinformshoppingdecisionsisbroadlydistributedacrosscategories,withrelativelylimited

differentiationbetweenmostofthem.Adoptionclusterstightlyinthe30to36percentrangeacrossawidesetofcategories(Exhibit4),suggestingthatAIisalreadyfunctioningasa

general-purposeevaluationlayer,ratherthanatoolconfinedtoafewAI-nativeverticals.

Usageisslightlyhigherinresearch-intensivecategories—includingapparel,healthcareand

medicalproducts,consumerelectronics,andtravel—whereconsumersfacegreatercomplexity,

Exhibit4

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming8

AlusageinEuropeisstrongestinresearch-intensivecategories,butbroadlyadoptedoverall.

AI-searchusagetoinformproductdiscoveryandpurchasebycategory,1%ofrespondents(n=749)

1Question:ForwhichofthefollowingcategorieshaveyoueverusedgenAltoolstodiscoveranddecideonbrands,products,orservicestopurchase?source:MckinseyconsumerAIDiscoverysurvey,Dec2025

Mckinsey&company

trade-offs,orinformationasymmetryandthereforebenefitmorefromsynthesis,comparison,

andexplanation.However,thedifferencesbetweenleadingandmidtiercategoriesaremodest,reinforcingtheideathatAIsupportisbeingappliednotonlyintraditionally“complex”purchasesbutwhereverconsumersencounteruncertaintyordecisionfriction.

Onecategorystandsoutclearly:eyewear.Atjust13percentadoption,eyewearlagsmateriallybehindtherestofthefield.Thedivergenceisnotablenotbecauseeyewearlacksinformationalcomplexity,butbecausemuchofthevalueineyewearpurchasinghingesonphysicalfit,in-

personassessment,andinfrequentdecision-making—areaswherecurrentAItoolsofferlessincrementalvaluerelativetotheofflineexperience.

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming9

Theeyewearexamplehasimportantinsightsforhowagenticcommerceislikelytoscale.

Near-termopportunityisshapedlessbycategorylabelsandmorebywhereAI-driven

evaluationcreatesvaluewithoutrequiringphysicalvalidationorsustaineddelegation.Over

time,asinterfacesmatureandtrustboundariesshift,morecategoriesmaymoveupthecurve

—butadoptionisunlikelytoprogressuniformlyorconvergequicklyonfullautonomy.

QuestionsthatwillshapehowagenticcommercescalesinEurope

TheEuropeandatadonotpointtoasingleendstate.Instead,theysurfaceasetofunresolvedquestionsthatwillinfluencehowquicklyandhowfarconsumersarewillingtodelegate

decisionstoAIsystemsasagenticcommercematures:

—Howdoesbrandloyaltygetexpressedwhendecisionsaremediatedbyagents?AcommonconcernisthatAI-mediatedcomparisonwillerodebrandloyaltybymakingswitching

frictionless.Whilethatoutcomeispossibleinsomecontexts,particularlyforcommodity

goodsandservices,thedataandemergingagentbehaviorspointtoamorenuancedshift.Brandloyaltyisunlikelytodisappear,butitmaybeexpresseddifferently.

AsconsumersincreasinglyrelyonAItoevaluateandnarrowoptions,brandpreferencescanenterthedecisionprocessthroughmultiplechannels.Insomecases,consumersmay

explicitlyencodetrustedbrandsorexclusions,effectivelyprovidingtheiragentswith“allowlists”thatguiderecommendations.Inothers,agentsmaysurfaceunfamiliarbrandsthatfitauser’sstatedpreferences,values,oraesthetic,expandingconsiderationsetswhilestill

honoringunderlyingbrandaffinities.

Overtime,agenticcommercemayalsointroducenewsurfaceswherebrandscanassert

themselvesmoredirectly.Asagent-to-agentinteractionsevolve,brand-specificagents

couldincreasinglyactasbrandambassadors—explainingdifferentiation,negotiatingterms,andarticulatingbrandintentwithinmachine-mediatedflows.Therewillalsobecontexts,

suchaspurepricecomparisonorroutinereplenishment,inwhichbrandmatterslessandfunctionalcriteriadominate.

Takentogether,theshiftsuggestsnottheerosionofbrandloyalty,butitsreconfigurationfromaprimarilyemotionalandvisualconstructtoonethatmustalsobeencoded,interpretable,and

defensibleinagent-mediateddecisions.

—IsEurope’scautionarounddelegationaconstraintoraleadingindicator?OurdatashowthatcomfortwithAIdeclinessteadilyaslevelsofdelegationincrease,particularlyforpersistent

orrecurringactionssuchasmanagingsubscriptionsorreorderinghouseholdstaples

(Exhibit5).ConsumersaremostcomfortablewithAIthatassistsdecision-makingwhile

preservingfinalhumancontrol,andleastcomfortablewithAIthatoperatescontinuouslyorwithoutexplicitconfirmation.

Exhibit5

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming10

consumersarecomfortabledelegatingjudgmentbutnotongoingcontrol.EuropeancomfortwithAltoolautonomyduringtheshoppingjourney,'%ofrespondents(n=749)

High

comfort2

comfort3

5

25

onlysuggestingoptions,with

humanmakingallfinaldecisions

andclicks

4

34

suggesting

optionsand

prefillingbasket,withhuman

reviewingandconfirming

purchases

34

4

Automatically

completing

purchasesbelowaspendinglimit

34

4

Automaticallymanaging

recurring

purchases(eg,

reorderingwhenlikelytorunout)

34

44

Automaticallymanaging

subscriptions

(eg,pausing,

canceling,orad-justingbased

onusageandpreferences)

1Question:ForwhichpartsoftheshoppingjourneyhaveyouusedAItoolsinthepast3months?

2"somewhatcomfortable"and"verycomfortable."

3"somewhatuncomfortable"and"veryuncomfortable."

source:MckinseyconsumerADiscoverysurvey,Dec2025

Mckinsey&company

Thispatterncouldbeseenasanexpressionofconservatism.Analternative,andpotentiallymoreconsequential,readingisthatEuropeanconsumersarearticulatingtheconditions

underwhichtheyarewillingtodelegate,ratherthanrejectingdelegationoutright.These

conditionsincludereversibility(theabilitytoundoactions),accountability(clear

responsibilitywhensomethinggoeswrong),andexplicitconsent(clearboundariesonwhattheagentisauthorizedtodo).

Forleaders,theimplicationisnottoslowinvestmentinautonomy,buttodesignforconditionaldelegation—buildingagenticexperiencesthatearntrustincrementally,makeauthority

explicit,andallowuserstocalibrateautonomyovertime.Onetestofthishypothesiswillbewhetheragenticsolutionsthatforegroundreversibilityandexplicitmandatesseefaster

adoption,evenformoreautonomoususecases.

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming11

—Wheredoconsumersdrawthelineondelegationtoday?Thecomfortsentimentdatasuggestaclearboundaryinhowconsumersthinkaboutdelegation.Respondentsaremostwillingto

delegatecognitivetasks—suchasreceivingsuggestions,comparingoptions,orreviewing

prefilledbaskets—whileremaininghesitanttocedeongoingorstandingcontrol,particularlyforactionsthatpersistovertimeoroperatewithoutrepeatedconfirmation.

ThishighlightsanimportantdistinctionbetweenwhatAIsystemsaretechnicallycapableofandwhatconsumersarecurrentlywillingtoauthorize.Delegationismostacceptablewhenitis

bounded,episodic,andeasytoreverse;itbecomesmorecontestedasitshiftstoward

continuousexecutionorimplicitauthority.Ifthispatternholds,adoptionofautonomyis

unlikelytoadvanceasasingleleaptowardfullautomation.Instead,itwillexpandselectivelyandconditionally,shapedbyhowclearlyuserscandefine,monitor,andadjustthescopeofanagent’sauthorityovertime.

Keyimperativesforretailersandbrands

Thesurveyfindingssuggestthreeimportantstepsthatretailersandbrandswillhavetotakeiftheywishtoremainrelevantintheemergingagentic-commerceera:

—CompeteforAI-mediateddecisions(notjusthumanattention).Asdiscoveryand

comparisonshiftintoAIinterfaces,competitiveadvantageincreasinglydependsonwhetherabrandcanbeaccessedandunderstoodbyAIagents,notjustdiscoveredandrecognized

byconsumers.Visibilityisnolongerearnedsolelythroughplacement,advertising,oruser

interface;itisearnedthroughmachinelegibility–whatsomedescribeas“agentengine

optimization,”inwhichstructuredcredibilityreplaceskeywordpositioning.Inpractice,this

raisesthebaronfoundationalreadiness:Rich,structuredproductmetadata,consistent

namingandtaxonomy,evidence-backedclaims,andstrongthird-partytrustsignalssuchasreviewsandexpertmentionsarefastbecomingprerequisitesforappearinginAI-mediated

journeysatall.Thisisnotawait-and-seemoment.Itrequiresstrengtheningfoundational

capabilitiessuchasproductinformationmanagement,feedquality,taxonomyconsistency,

andAPIexposure,whilemonitoringandengagingwithemerginginteroperabilitystandards,suchasModelContextProtocol(MCP)andUCP,thataimtostructureagent-to-agent

commerce.Retailersshouldbeginupgradingtheir“agentsurfacearea”now—welcoming

reputableagenttraffic,instrumentingreal-timeaccesstoaccuratedata,anddifferentiatingtrustedagentsfrommaliciousbots.Thosethatfailtodosoriskbecominginvisibleupstream,beforeaconsumereverreachesabrandinterface.

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming12

—Optimizeforexplainability,notjustconversion.AsconsumersincreasinglyrelyonAIto

makesenseofchoices,differentiationisjudgedlessbypersuasiveuserexperienceand

morebyclarity,comparability,andproof.Inanagenticjourney,avaluepropositionmust

workintwodirections:Itmustresonatewithhumansandbestructuredenoughfor

machinestoevaluate,carryforward,andciteindownstreamagent-to-agentinteractions.

Brandsthatcannotexpresstheirdifferentiationascrisp,evidence-backed“reasons

why”—whattheproductis,whoitisfor,whattrade-offsitmakes,andwhyitfitsagiven

context—riskbeingfilteredoutupstream,beforeashopper(ortheiragent)everreachesa

productdescriptionpage.Thiscreatesanewcompetitivesurfaceforconsumerplayers,onewhereinfluencedependsnotonlyonshelfpresencebutalsoonhoweffectivelyattributes

andclaimscanbeparsedandcomparedbyAIsystems.Winningbrandswilltreat

explanationasaproductcapability:designed,structured,andcontinuouslyimprovedtosupportbothhumanunderstandingandmachinereasoning.

—Planforawebofagents,notasingleinterface.OnceretailersarevisibleandexplainableinAI-mediatedjourneys,thenextstrategicquestionishowmuchautonomytoenable,andwhere.

Delegationwillexpandinstagesandiscategorydependent.Today,asourdatashow,

comfortishighestforbounded,episodicdelegation—suchasdecisionsupport,option

narrowing,andassistedcheckout—anddropssharplyforpersistentorstandingauthority.Thishastwoimplications.First,autonomyshouldbetreatedasaroadmap,notafeatureswitch,startingwithreversible,explicitlyauthorizedactionsandexpandingonlyastrust,infrastructure,andconsumercomfortmature.Second,buildingaproprietary,consumer-facingAIagentisaselectivestrategicchoice,notadefaultrequirement.Itmakessenseprimarilywherearetailerhasclearcategoryauthorityandcanadddifferentiatedvalue

throughguidedexploration,notmerelytransactionexecution.

BusinessesshouldbeveryclearaboutthepurposeandusecasesratherthanadoptingAIforthesakeofadoptingAI.Crucially,owningaconsumeragentisnotthesameasowningthe

customerrelationship.Inaweb-of-agentsworld—inwhichpersonalagentsofchoice

interactwithretaileragentsorbrokeragents—retailerscanstillretaincontroloverthe

transactionandtherelationshipbyremainingthemerchantofrecordandbyowningidentity,paymentauthorization,policies,fulfillment,andpost-purchaseservice.Emergingagentic

commerceprotocols(ACP,A2A,AP2,andUCP)areexplicitlydesignedtopreservethis

model,enablingagent-mediateddiscoveryandnegotiationwhilekeepingretailers

accountableforexecution.Asaresult,competitiveadvantageshiftsawayfromowningtheinterfacetowardbeingreliablyevaluable,negotiable,andexecutableacrossagent

ecosystems.Thewinnerswillbethosethatdesignforparticipationacrossagent-to-site,

agent-to-agent,andbrokeredmodels—ensuringtheirofferingscanbeunderstood,trusted,andacteduponbyanyauthorizedagentoperatingontheconsumer’sbehalf.

Europe’sagenticcommercemoment:Decisioninfluenceishere;executioniscoming13

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Theseconsumersignalsprovideanimportantdemand-sidelensonabroadershift