For decades, web browsing meant combing through static blue links. This world, shaped by traditional search engines, defined how shoppers discovered, compared, and bought products. But we are now entering the new frontier of the agentic web. In this emerging landscape, AI-powered browsers don’t just seek results. They reason, act, and transact on behalf of users.
Instead of relying on search bars and clicks, the browser becomes a proactive partner. It understands your intent, curates your options, and even completes tasks, turning web browsing into an intelligent, conversational experience.
Players redefining the browser
- Perplexity’s Comet: On July 9, 2025, Perplexity launched Comet, an AI-native browser built on Chromium. More than a search tool, Comet features a built-in sidebar assistant that can compare products, book meetings, and even complete purchases. Its seamless “conversation-to-action” workflow streamlines everything from shopping to scheduling. Early users report a productivity boost of up to 10%, according to various reports.
- OpenAI’s browser: Hot on Perplexity’s heels, OpenAI is developing its own Chromium-based browser, integrated with ChatGPT and “Operator,” an AI agent designed to complete forms, automate actions, and support real-time flows. This browser replaces tabs with a chat interface, enabling a more fluid user-agent relationship.
- Others entering the arena: Platforms like The Browser Company (with the Dia browser), Brave, Sigma AI, and Google are building or enhancing agentic browsing experiences, signaling the start of a full-scale browser transformation.
Why it matters for brands and retailers
- Visibility is being redefined. Traditional SEO is losing ground to agentic discovery. AI agents prioritize structured metadata, independent references, and verified reviews over traditional rankings. CPG brands need to integrate their products into high-quality digital ecosystems, not just optimize for search.
- Rich, structured product data is critical. Agentic browsers parse everything: specs, pricing, inventory, sustainability claims. Brands must publish clean, machine-readable data across their retail partners and direct-to-consumer sites.
- Trust is the new currency: Agents demand trust not just in brands, but in secure, automated workflows. Verified data, tokenized payments, and transparent AI permissions help shoppers feel confident in allowing agents to act on their behalf.
- Automation is now expected: When a shopper asks an agent to “find a sensitive skin cleanser,” the agent should be able to compare options, validate reviews, and check out in seconds, all of which requires seamless integration of payments, delivery, and loyalty systems.
Three strategic moves for the agentic era
- Optimize for agentic discovery. Brands must ensure their products are included in the structured information that AI browsers rely on like metadata and entity mentions. A great example is Canva, which purposefully built a library of how-to content, all marked up with schema and consistent author attribution. The result is that AI tools like Google Gemini and Perplexity now prominently surface Canva in design-related questions.
- Build seamless agent workflows. Agentic browsers can execute tasks directly. Leading retailers are already enabling agents via structured calls. SaaS platforms like Shopify and Salesforce Commerce Cloud now support automated, API-driven shopping flows, effectively replacing manual checkouts and letting agents complete orders autonomously.
- Invest in trust infrastructure. Secure payments are the bedrock of agent trust. Mastercard’s Agent Pay introduces “agentic tokens,” specialized credentials that let AI assistants transact safely and transparently. These tokens are built on its tokenization platform and integrate with standards like Microsoft Azure OpenAI and IBM workflows.
July 2025 will be remembered as the start of the agentic browser wars, a seismic shift in how people interact with the web. Brands that will thrive in this new era will speak fluently to both humans and machines, enabling trusted, efficient, AI-driven commerce.
For CPG brands and retailers, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to go beyond search, shape agentic pathways, and lead the future of shopping.
For a robust assessment of big picture trends and more agile scenario planning that can flex to current and future challenges, check out Kantar’s Business Not As Usual framework.
