Quarterly Dinner 2026 Executive Dinner Series: NYC

A quarterly executive gathering in the world's hub of retail designed to connect leaders in retail and consumer industries to build relationships and discuss the most pressing issues facing the industry today.

Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 5:30 pm

The Redefinition of the Shopper Buying Journey: The Era of Agentic Commerce

There have been 3-4 moments in history where the shopper buying journey has been upended, forcing retailers and brands to rethink their processes and operations. The advent of eCommerce….the rise of the smartphone…ubiquitious two-day delivery, and now AI and AI Agents. Agentic discovery and agentic commerce is redefining the shopper journey and retailers and brands are rushing to adapt. In this dinner discussion, we’ll discuss what changes are taking place, how quickly they are taking place, and strategies to meet new shopper expectations.

robot_2 Where Agentic Commerce Breaks the Journey First:The traditional shopper journey: awareness, consideration, purchase, loyalty, was built around a human making decisions at every step. AI agents don't just accelerate that journey, they potentially skip or eliminate entire stages of it. Where in that journey do you see the biggest disruption happening first — and is that an opportunity or a threat to how you engage shoppers today?

face_3 When the Agent Becomes the Customer:span>If an AI agent is making purchasing decisions on behalf of a shopper ( filtering options, comparing prices, and completing transactions autonomously), who is your real customer now: the shopper or the agent? How does that change how you think about brand loyalty, product discovery, and the in-store or on-site experience?

speed The Speed of Adaptationspan>Each prior disruption had a "window" where early movers gained lasting advantages ( think Amazon with eCommerce or Google with Search). It’s still early days, but who do you think has that advantage with agentic commerce? What will it take organizationally to at least keep pace?

database The Data and Discoverability ProblemAI agents surface and recommend products based on structured data, ratings, availability, and other machine-readable signals. It’s ‘cold’ and not very ‘brand forward’ . How are you rethinking product content, data infrastructure, and digital shelf strategy to ensure your products get found by agents, not just shoppers?

verified_user Trust, Control, and the Human OverrideShoppers have historically wanted convenience, but there's a point at which ceding control feels uncomfortable, especially for high-consideration purchases. Where do you think that line is, and how do you design experiences that let AI handle the routine while preserving human judgment where it matters?

shopping_cart Winning the New Shopper ExpectationEach prior disruption ultimately created a new baseline expectation (e.g.,free shipping is now table stakes). What's the equivalent "new normal" that agentic commerce will establish, and how are you building toward it before it becomes the minimum?

Dinner Venue: Ci Siamo

440 W 33rd St Suite #100, New York, NY 10001

Tucked between 9th and 10th Avenues in the heart of Manhattan West, Ci Siamo offers live-fire cooking and homemade pastas from celebrated Chef Hillary Sterling served alongside a robust Italian wine list.

Ci Siamo
Ci Siamo
Ci Siamo
Ci Siamo

In Partnership With

CommerceIQ