Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) on Thursday launched a suite of “agentic AI” tools aimed at automating key retail tasks, from merchandising and marketing to store operations and fulfillment, positioning the company to help merchants boost efficiency and shopper relevance.
The new capabilities layer intelligent automation over previously disjointed retail workflows, helping teams act with more context and speed.
A centerpiece of the rollout is Copilot Checkout, which Microsoft said allows customers to complete purchases discovered within Copilot without being redirected to external retailer sites.
Now available in the U.S. on Copilot.com, the feature is powered by partners including PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP), and Stripe, with Shopify merchants slated for automatic enrollment after an opt-out period.
AI Agents Drive Engagement
Microsoft introduced Brand Agents for Shopify merchants and a customizable “personalized shopping agent” template in Copilot Studio designed to answer product questions, guide discovery, and offer tailored recommendations. The company noted Kappahl Group as an early adopter exploring these tools to improve conversion and reduce product returns.
In public preview, Microsoft’s catalog enrichment agent template extracts product data from images and enriches it with insights to automate onboarding and categorization.
Another previewed tool, the store operations agent, aims to speed up service by helping staff answer inventory and policy questions and recommending priorities using signals such as sales trends and foot traffic.
AI Tailwinds + Investor Lens
Analysts see broad enterprise demand for agentic AI as a growth catalyst. Bank of America Securities forecasts the agentic AI market could reach roughly $155 billion by 2030, with Microsoft among key beneficiaries of this trend
MSFT Price Action: Microsoft shares were down 1.09% at $478.19 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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