The coming agentic web will likely change everything for RMNs and the FMCG brands that fund them. If agents like ChatGPT’s Agent, Microsoft’s Copilot Mode, or Walmart’s Sparky are doing the shopping, then the audience isn’t a person scrolling past a banner. Instead, it’s an algorithm scanning structured metadata, prices, and loyalty perks. For that reason, to drive growth with RMNs, brands will need to be optimized for the agent.
Here are six key disruptions that will likely reshape retail media, and how brands can respond:
1. Banners fade and metadata wins
IMPACT: Agents will scrape brand APIs, not hero images or flashy ads. In many ways structured data becomes the brand’s new creative asset.
BRAND MOVE: Build a “metadata marketing” system. Tag every SKU with deep attributes: price, size, ingredients, ESG scores, loyalty perks. If an agent can’t parse it, it can’t buy it. As such, brands must audit their retailer feeds similar to how they audit media plans.
2. Negotiation replaces persuasion
IMPACT: RMNs shift from ads to real-time price negotiations. We can expect that your brand’s AI will offer discounts directly to the shopping agent seconds before checkout.
BRAND MOVE: Develop promotional APIs that allow your brand to deliver real-time offers like BOGO or tiered discounts directly to shopping agents at checkout. Set up clear rules and limits so your brand can stay competitive without sacrificing margin. The goal is to win the deal when it matters most right before the agent locks in the cart.
3. Loyalty data becomes currency
IMPACT: Agents will weigh points, cash back, and reliability ratings to drive decisions. The best deal may not always be the one with the lowest price.
BRAND MOVE: Make sure brand loyalty perks are visible to the agent. Brands should sync membership benefits with retailer APIs. For example, agents should know your brand offers free shipping or 5% extra points to drive conversion.
4. CPMs decline as agent conversions rule
IMPACT: RMNs may stop charging for impressions and clicks, and move to agent-fueled conversions and affiliate-like revenue sharing.
BRAND MOVE: Prepare for new budget models like cost-per-agent conversion. Brands should ask for dashboards that show how often the brand was considered versus chosen because that is now the new brand ROI defense.
5. Everything connects with one experience
IMPACT: RMNs will stitch together web, app, voice, CRM agents, and assistant interfaces, because agents live across all of them.
BRAND MOVE: Break down internal silos between ecommerce, brand, media, and sales teams. Ensure product details, pricing, promotions, and pack images are fully aligned across all platforms including direct-to-commerce sites, retailer feeds, voice assistants, CRM tools, and mobile apps. Shopping agents will reward consistency. If your data is mismatched, your brand drops in their rankings.
6. Media buying is by and for AI
IMPACT: Brand-side agents will shift budgets across Amazon, Walmart, Target, Carrefour, and other retailers based on real-time agent-driven sales results.
BRAND MOVE: Set up an agentic DSP sandbox. Start with rule-based pilots. Let agents adjust 10%-15% of your spend using real-time signals like stock levels, share of agent preference, or metadata quality.
In agentic commerce, the “power” buyers are algorithms forever hunting value on their user’s behalf. Eye-catching creative still matters since humans will still set initial preferences, but daily growth will come from being the logical, data smart choice an agent cannot ignore. FMCG leaders should treat RMNs less like digital billboards and more like machine-first marketplaces where:
- Data quality is the brand’s new packaging.
- API-driven promotions are the brand’s endcaps.
- Autonomous media agents are the brand’s new key account managers.
As we enter the agentic commerce era, brands must modernize their RMN strategies to become prominently visible with shopping agents that will play a much bigger role in winning tomorrow’s cart.
For more on retail media networks, check out Kantar’s new study, Retail Media Networks 2.0: Resetting the Value Proposition.
