Artificial intelligence is redefining how commerce happens, pushing it beyond transactions into experiences that feel intuitive, personal and emotionally aware. From dynamic agents to hyper-tailored journeys, agentic AI is turning what once felt futuristic into the new baseline.

Commercetools, a longtime force in digital commerce strategy, is driving much of this shift. Known for its MACH-based approach — microservices, application programming interface-first, cloud-native and headless — commercetools gives companies the agility to adapt and build fast, according to Scott Hebner, principal analyst at theCUBE Research. The company’s adoption of the Commerce Model Context Protocol takes that further, enabling agents to share context seamlessly and accelerate innovation across business-to-business and business-to-consumer landscapes.

TheCUBE co-hosts Patricia Wu and Scott Hebner on the set at Elevate — The Global Commerce Summit.

“Gen AI’s been on the scene for two and a half, three years, and now we’re on to agentic,” Hebner said. “These innovation cycles are just speeding up, and if you fall behind, literally, you may never catch up. The composability is what’s key here because that allows you to plug and play with new innovations, new ideas through an ecosystem of providers so you get best-of-breed. If you’re a B2B, you’re doing commerce in a B2B space, and it’s time to re-platform and re-architect for the future. It’s more of a risk not to change now than it is to actually deplatform.”

These themes took center stage at Elevate — The Global Commerce Summit, where technologists and commerce leaders unpacked what’s next for the industry. Hebner and co-host Patricia Wu spoke with top executives and innovators during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio.

Check out the full analyst segment at Elevate.

Here’s a full look at the key takeaways from the in-depth conversations captured live on theCUBE during the event.

1. Commercetools reimagines AI-driven commerce through emotion and intelligence

AI is shifting commerce away from transactional convenience and toward deeply personalized, emotionally resonant experiences. Companies must either “be disrupted or lead the re-imagination,” according to Andrew Burton (pictured), chief executive officer of commercetools, who frames this moment as one that demands bold reinvention, not just technological adoption.

AI enables hyper-personalized brand interactions that foster emotional loyalty, creating what Burton calls “intelligence as a service.” He pointed to the well-known “IKEA effect” — the idea that when people put effort into crafting something, even within commerce, they become more emotionally invested. Trust and affiliation are built not just through consistency, but through moments that feel earned and personal, Burton noted.

Don’t miss the complete interview on theCUBE.

2. Google Cloud brings agentic AI to life across the retail journey

Retail is moving beyond static AI recommendations and into the era of agentic AI — autonomous systems that can learn, adapt and act on behalf of users to drive better outcomes. This shift enables businesses to improve customer experience and impact both the top and bottom lines, according to Kapil Dabi, America’s market lead of retail and consumer at Google LLC.

Google’s Kapil Dabi talks with theCUBE about the era of agentic AI.

Agentic AI supports the full retail lifecycle, from pre-purchase to post-sale. It powers everything from promotional content and localized advertising to image-based product search and contextual beauty advisors that facilitate purchases. These systems don’t just assist: They collaborate, enhancing human potential through personalized, context-aware engagement, according to Dabi.

Catch the entire conversation on theCUBE.

3. Brands face a new reality: Selling to agents not just people

Digital commerce is undergoing a foundational shift, with agentic shopping expected to drive 30% of online transactions by 2030, a figure that may even underestimate the pace of change, according to Dirk Hoerig, founder and chief information officer of commercetools. Agentic AI acts independently on behalf of users, executing purchases, making plans and anticipating preferences with a level of nuance that surpasses traditional brand-retailer interactions.

This shift challenges companies to maintain customer relationships when engagement happens through third-party agents rather than brand-owned channels. Businesses must rethink their infrastructure, building API-first environments that can operate fluidly within agentic ecosystems. Integrated digital payments, loyalty integration and adaptive architecture are no longer optional: They’re prerequisites for staying relevant, according to Hoerig.

Hear the full story on theCUBE.

4. Composable commerce empowers brands to scale personalization fast

For Pet Valu Canada Inc., building an online presence wasn’t just about adding eCommerce: It was about translating their highly personal, in-store service into a digital experience. The company moved away from a monolithic platform and adopted a composable commerce strategy, allowing for greater agility, data unification and rapid innovation, according to Pet Valu’s Rohan Cherian, vice president of engineering, and Scott Johnston, VP of eCommerce and customer experience.

Partnering with commercetools enabled near real-time inventory visibility and a seamless experience across online and in-store channels, according to Johnston and Cherian. Teams gained the autonomy to “release when ready,” enabling faster feature rollouts and sustained performance with no disruption to traffic or sales. The shift aligned architecture, culture and customer expectations into a unified, scalable strategy that positions the company to eventually engage with agentic AI use cases as they emerge.

Watch the full segment on theCUBE.

5. Commerce is becoming fully generated, hyper-personalized and voice-first

The next wave of digital commerce is radically responsive, shaped in real-time by customer intent, location and context.  The shift from static websites to entirely generated, conversational experiences is already underway, according to Shiri Mosenzon Erez, chief product officer of commercetools. Powered by AI models that blend image recognition, language understanding and agentic autonomy, shopping journeys can now begin with a wearable scan, continue via chat and complete without touching a screen.

Commercetools’ Shiri Mosenzon Erez talks with theCUBE about the future of commerce.

This vision is anchored by commercetools’ AI Hub and Commerce MCP, which enable brands to integrate third-party agents, maintain control of transactions and offer seamless purchase options wherever the journey starts, according to Mosenzon Erez. Whether through voice, augmented-reality glasses or a branded site, shoppers will increasingly be guided not just responded to. The future of commerce is contextual, predictive and emotionally aware.

Watch theCUBE’s full sit-down.

6. Digital agility drives culture and personalization at The Vitamin Shoppe

For The Vitamin Shoppe, modernizing e-commerce wasn’t just about replacing legacy systems — it was about building a culture of continuous innovation. The company’s composable transition was a phased approach rooted in return-on-investment-driven projects, unlocking the kind of agility that lays the groundwork for agentic AI integration down the line, according to Uman Chan, senior director of digital technology at The Vitamin Shoppe. That path not only enabled flexible digital experiences, but also shifted team dynamics, turning developers into empowered engineers focused on innovation rather than upkeep.

This mindset now supports multiple weekly feature releases and rapid response to customer needs, such as the quick rollout of curbside pickup during the pandemic. The shift positioned the company to explore agentic AI for real-time personalization, aiming to deliver “next best actions” tailored to each customer’s preferences and behaviors, according to Chan.

Check out theCUBE’s complete interview.

7. AI momentum pushes B2B firms to modernize for agent-ready commerce

B2B companies face more complex requirements than their B2C counterparts, from intricate approval processes to regulatory landmines where even small mistakes can have significant consequences. These pressures make digital transformation both more challenging and more crucial, according to commercetools’ Julia Rabkin, B2B product expert, and Alistair Groves, head of product. To stay competitive, businesses must unify their data, empower cross-functional teams and accelerate time to value in a volatile economy.

Commercetools’ Julia Rabkin and Alistair Groves discuss how composable strategies offer a path to long-term agility and innovation for B2B companies.

The rise of agentic AI is exposing infrastructure gaps across the B2B space, prompting many organizations to rethink their readiness for emerging models such as agent-to-agent commerce. That future depends on data interoperability and modular systems that can adapt quickly to changing customer needs, according to Rabkin and Groves. As hype drives urgency, composable strategies offer a path to long-term agility and innovation.

Don’t miss the full interview on theCUBE.

8. Fragmented consumer flows demand flexible foundations

In the age of autonomous AI agents, commerce is no longer linear or even predictable. Companies must stop optimizing for yesterday’s processes and instead rethink how they engage, compete and win in a rapidly shifting landscape, according to Jason Cottrell, founder and chief executive officer of Orium, which specializes in composable commerce, customer data and retail data platforms. Brands should evaluate what competitive advantages are being eroded by AI, what new customer demands are becoming possible and whether their current infrastructure is agile enough to adapt. For Orium, MACH-based architecture is a non-negotiable starting point.

“We’re going to see this added channel or this collection of added channels,” Cottrell said during the event. “It’s going to fragment what are already often fragmented consumer flows to begin with. I look at it as a bit of a “Game of Thrones.” You can’t place one bet. I think to survive and thrive in the next few years, what a lot of brands are going to have to do is think about, ‘Look, let’s assume there’s lots of change and variability. Let’s assume all the tech majors, all the AI labs are going to have extensive new announcements every few weeks. What are the foundations we need to put in place … what’s going to stay true no matter?’”

Don’t miss this exclusive segment.

Here’s the complete video playlist from SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Elevate — The Global Commerce Summit:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Elevate — The Global Commerce Summit event. Neither commercetools, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE