AI apps take aim at major online shopping problem
The purpose of online shopping was to make buying easier, a benefit widely used during the pandemic.
So much so that even after physical stores reopened, retailers continued to invest more in developing their digital businesses.
But that convenience has also caused a new problem.
For many consumers, online shopping now means juggling sales, dozens of open tabs, abandoned carts, promo-code hunting, price comparisons, resale checks, brand newsletters, restock alerts, and social-media ads that may or may not show the product they actually want.
And while this may be a headache for consumers, it translates into new opportunities, especially given the emerging scope of artificial intelligence and agentic commerce.
Retailers such as Amazon and Walmart have already successfully integrated AI shopping agents on their sites, and many other vendors are relying on AI-powered product discovery for exposure.
Bridging the gap further are AI startups such as Phia and The Mall, which are built around a simple consumer frustration.
Shoppers have more online options than ever, but finding the right product at the right price from the right brand has become harder to manage.
That shift could have major implications for retailers as the next stage of online shopping may begin with an AI assistant that already knows what a shopper likes.
AI shopping apps, The Mall, try to solve consumer shopping problem
The Mall, a new app founded by Sreya Halder and Ellie Konsker, aims to recreate the shopping mall experience for the internet age.
Instead of making shoppers jump from one brand website to another, The Mall lets users build a personalized feed from their favorite brands.
Shoppers can follow brands, track sales, get alerts about new arrivals or restocked products, and discover similar items from other retailers.
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The idea reflects a broader problem in online retail. Consumers may know where they like to shop, but keeping up with every brand's website, newsletter, sale calendar, drop, and restock can become overwhelming.
The Mall is trying to put those updates in one place.
According to TechCrunch, the app uses large language models and custom models to label products it pulls into its system, allowing users to search for specific items and drops.
When shoppers are ready to buy, the app opens a browser page inside the app and takes them to the brand's e-commerce site to complete the purchase.
That matters because The Mall is not trying to be another traditional marketplace. It is trying to become a personalized feed of what shoppers actually want to buy.
"We created The Mall to solve our own problem: always forgetting where to shop from and resorting to the same 5 websites. So we made a solution: one app to save brands from anywhere, get updates when they save sales, new arrivals, or restock popular products, and smart filters to easily discover more. And now we're making it for you," said The Mall founders Halder and Konsker.
The app is currently available only for iOS and is free to use.
Phoebe Gates' Phia gets celebrity funding
Phia is attacking the shopping problem from a different angle.
The AI shopping app, co-founded by Phoebe Gates (Bill Gates' daughter) and Sophia Kianni in 2025, helps shoppers compare prices and find alternatives, including resale and secondhand options.
If a shopper is about to buy a new item, Phia can surface whether the same or a similar product is available for less elsewhere, similar to the travel app Travago.
That gives the app a clear consumer hook at a time when shoppers remain highly price-sensitive.
It also gives Phia a sustainability angle, since resale can steer consumers toward secondhand options instead of buying new.
Phia has also grown quickly.
The company posted on its Instagram page that, within a year, it surpassed 1.5 million users, has partnered with over 9,600 retail brands, and raised a $35.5 million Series A round at a $185 million valuation.
The company also announced a new list of celebrity investors, including Khloe Kardashian, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jessica Alba, Sydney Sweeney, Paris Holton, and Mindy Kaling, among others.
For consumers, the app promises to do some of the work that shoppers already do manually, including comparing prices, checking resale value, and searching for better alternatives.
Both apps currently serve as discovery tools.
AI could change who controls the shopping journey
For years, retailers have fought to win shoppers' attention through search results, social media ads, loyalty programs, email lists, and marketplaces.
AI could disrupt that model by shifting more decision-making to a layer between the consumer and the retailer.
PwC describes agentic commerce as a new way of shopping powered by AI agents that can act on a user's behalf. Unlike a basic chatbot, these tools can browse, compare, and, eventually, initiate purchases based on a shopper's goals, preferences, and limits.
That could significantly change the retail funnel.
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A consumer may not need to search "best work bag," visit five retailer websites, compare prices, check resale sites, read reviews, and wait for a sale. An AI agent could eventually do much of that work before the shopper ever sees a product page.
McKinsey has described agentic commerce as a major shift in which AI agents anticipate consumer needs, navigate shopping options, negotiate deals, and execute transactions in line with human intent.
The firm estimates that by 2030, agentic commerce could account for up to $1 trillion in orchestrated revenue in the U.S. business-to-consumer retail market.
That is why the trend is not limited to startups.
Amazon is also pushing deeper into AI-powered shopping. AWS recently introduced its Agentic Shopping Assistant for retailers, a solution designed to help companies build their own conversational shopping experiences using their own data, catalogs, business rules, and brand voice.
Amazon said Kate Spade is already using the solution to build an AI gift concierge, while other retailers are testing it.
The move shows how quickly AI shopping is moving from a novelty to a competitive retail tool.
Retailers may have to compete for AI attention
The shift could be helpful for consumers, especially those tired of scrolling through endless products or wondering whether they are getting the best deal.
AI shopping apps could help shoppers compare prices faster, discover smaller brands, avoid missing sales, and make more confident purchases. They could also make online shopping feel more personalized and less fragmented.
But for retailers, the rise of AI shopping agents could create new pressure.
If shoppers rely on AI tools to decide what to buy, retailers may have to optimize not only for Google search and social media algorithms, but also for AI recommendations.
It could also change how retailers think about loyalty.
A shopper may still love a brand, but if an AI assistant finds a similar item for less, available faster, or with better resale value, the consumer may choose the alternative.
It does not mean AI shopping apps will replace retailers' own websites or stores overnight. For example, final transactions at The Mall and Phia are handled by the retailer or seller, not in the app.
But there is still pressure on retailers to adapt to these shifting circumstances. Placer.ai's retail outlook found that more than 55% of respondents were confident in brick-and-mortar performance in 2026, while only 20% expressed concern.
At the same time, 44% said they expect agentic AI to increase the share of online retail, and 34% said it could drive broader growth across commerce overall.
So AI isn't driving shoppers away from stores; it's just helping determine which stores to visit and which retailer gets the final sale.
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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 10:33 AM.