## This Week's AI Agent Marketing Updates

What Are AI Agents and Why Should Marketers Care?

AI agents are computer programs that can think, decide, and act without someone telling them exactly what to do each time. Think of them like having a super-smart robot helper that understands what customers want and can figure things out on its own. In 2026, these AI agents are changing marketing completely. These agents are becoming new gatekeepers that decide which products customers see and which brands get recommended to shoppers. This means if your company wants to be successful, you need to make sure AI agents like the technology, not just regular people.

Customers Are Already Using AI Agents to Shop

Here's something amazing: more than 70% of shoppers have already started using AI agents when they shop. They use these AI helpers to ask questions like "What's the best phone under $500?" or "Where can I find a purple backpack?" or even "Which coffee maker is the cheapest?" This shows that AI agents aren't something for the future—they're here right now. Companies that don't prepare for this are going to miss out on helping these customers find their products.

How Retailers Are Using AI Agents

Smart retailers are figuring out how to use AI agents to help shoppers discover products. These AI helpers are like personal shopping assistants that live on the internet. When a customer asks the AI agent a question, the retailer can influence what products the AI suggests. Retailers are even creating new ways to show advertisements inside these AI agents, similar to how stores put their best products right at the front of the store. This is called agentic commerce, and it's becoming really important for how people shop online.

Big Companies Are Building New AI Tools

Major advertising companies understand how important this is. WPP and Omnicom, two of the biggest advertising companies in the world, announced new agentic AI products at the beginning of 2026. These tools help companies create and run marketing campaigns automatically. For example, instead of having people write five different versions of an ad, the AI agent can create and test them all by itself. Another company called PubMatic made an agentic operating system that's designed to make online advertising easier and faster.

Why Product Information Is Super Important Now

Here's something important: AI agents need really good, organized information to recommend products correctly. If a store's product information is messy or incomplete, the AI agents won't recommend those products. Retailers that spend time making their product information perfect will do better because AI will find and suggest their products more often. This might seem like small work, but it's going to make a huge difference in 2026.

What Tech Leaders Are Saying

NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang predicted at a tech conference that agents will be the next big generation of applications. This is similar to when people predicted that smartphones would change the world. Companies need to rethink how they show up online, not just for regular Google searches, but for AI agents too. Instead of just showing up in one place, brands need to be everywhere that AI agents look.

The Challenge: Making Sure It Actually Works

But there's a problem. Many companies are still not sure if AI agents will actually help their business. Some companies tried using AI and didn't see it make things better. The companies that will win are the ones that connect AI agents to what really matters for their business, like selling more products or making customers happier. It's not enough to just use the technology—you have to use it the right way.

What This Means for Marketing in 2026

Marketing is changing faster than ever before. Brands that understand AI agents and prepare now will have a big advantage. They'll appear in front of more customers who are shopping with AI helpers. Companies that ignore this technology will find that fewer customers see their products. The good news is that this is still early, so there's time to learn and prepare. Smart companies are already making their product information perfect and figuring out how to work with AI agents.