This week, Michael sits down with Jackie Swanson, Managing Partner at Gartner Consulting, for one of the most important conversations retailers need to hear right now. From AI agents and “agentic commerce” to the future of search, loyalty, and customer ownership, Jackie explains why AI isn’t just another tech trend — it’s an entirely new retail channel.
On this episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc welcomes Jackie Swanson, Managing Partner at Gartner Consulting, for a wide-ranging and highly practical conversation about artificial intelligence, agentic commerce, and the rapidly changing future of retail.
Swanson brings Gartner’s global perspective to one of the most urgent strategic issues facing retailers today: how AI is fundamentally reshaping customer discovery, commerce channels, operating models, and competitive advantage. Drawing on Gartner’s extensive AI research and consulting work with retailers and consumer brands in Canada and around the world, she explains why generative AI represents a structural shift unlike previous technology waves such as cloud computing or mobile commerce.
At the centre of the discussion is the rise of “agentic commerce” — a world where AI agents like ChatGPT, Claude, and future large language model interfaces increasingly sit between retailers and consumers. Instead of browsing websites or apps, customers are beginning to shop conversationally through AI interfaces that recommend, filter, compare, and eventually complete purchases on their behalf. Swanson explains why this represents an entirely new commerce channel and why retailers must rethink their strategies before they lose control of customer discovery and loyalty.
Michael and Jackie explore the major implications for SEO, branding, merchandising, customer relationships, and organizational design as AI-driven commerce accelerates. Swanson introduces the emerging concept of “AEO” — AI Engine Optimization — and discusses how retailers must rethink product data, customer signals, and digital infrastructure to ensure their brands surface inside AI-driven shopping experiences.
The conversation also tackles one of the industry’s biggest strategic questions: who inside a retail organization should own AI? Swanson argues that an AI strategy cannot be confined solely to IT or digital teams. Instead, it must become a CEO-level, cross-functional transformation involving merchandising, marketing, loyalty, operations, and technology leadership.
Swanson outlines three critical priorities retailers must address over the next 12 to 18 months: establishing strong AI governance and ethical frameworks, cleaning and restructuring enterprise data for AI readiness, and creating clear organizational ownership for AI strategy and execution.
The episode closes with a fascinating discussion about which retail categories may benefit most from AI-driven commerce, why smaller challenger brands could gain unexpected advantages, and why retailers that adopt a “wait and see” approach risk falling dangerously behind.