Most retailers are unprepared for AI-driven commerce, according to the latest research from Patchworks.
With barely a quarter (27%) of UK retailers saying their tech stacks are fully connected and scalable, it looks like many are not yet able to take advantage of Agentic Commerce, where AI agents can search, compare, purchase and even pay for products on customers’ behalf.
The research, Patchworks’ Retail Integration Report: Insights from the 2025/36 Patchworks Retail Tech Leaders Survey, finds that 31% of UK retailers are stuck with fragmented systems and manual processes, while a similar number (29%) say their integration is “reactive and fragile”. A further 15% are not even actively thinking about AI.
Jim Herbert, CEO of Patchworks, reveals that while excitement around Agentic AI is growing fast, many retailers are underestimating what it takes to make it work in practice.
“Agentic commerce sounds futuristic, but it relies on something very unglamorous. Clean, connected data,” he insists. “If your stock, orders, customer data and payments don’t talk to each other reliably today, an AI agent will simply amplify those problems rather than solve them.”
The report highlights that poor integration already carries a real financial cost. 60% of retailers report losses linked to disconnected systems, with one in 10 losing over £1 million annually due to integration failures. During peak trading periods, 48% rely on temporary workarounds just to keep systems running.
Patchworks argues that Agentic Commerce is not a distant concept but an acceleration of trends already underway, particularly through platforms like Shopify that are increasingly accessible via AI interfaces. In this environment, integration becomes the foundation that allows retailers to orchestrate data flows across ecommerce, ERP, warehouse, CRM and payments in real time.
“AI will change how people shop, but it won’t magically tidy up messy systems,” Herbert adds. “Retailers need to fix the plumbing first. Integration is what turns AI from hype into something commercially useful.”
