Insights from Europe's Leading Tech & Marketing Events : Agentic AI & Unified Commerce

Over the last month, we’ve had our ear to the ground at three of the most exciting events in the digital space: Shoptalk Europe in Barcelona, the Prolific North Marketing Festival, and Trailblazing Tech in Manchester. These events brought together the brightest minds and boldest ideas across commerce, marketing, and technology. And while the conversations were broad, two clear themes emerged that speak directly to Pathway’s mission: the rise of Agentic AI and the acceleration of Unified Commerce.

Here’s what we learned, what it means, and how we’re helping businesses respond.

Agentic AI: From Content to Autonomy

AI was everywhere — but not in the way it used to be. The narrative has shifted from simple content creation, and code generation to what’s now being called Agentic AI: systems capable of setting their own goals, initiating actions, and learning across contexts.

At Shoptalk, this was showcased through autonomous agents handling everything from product recommendations to supply chain forecasting. Trailblazing Tech featured discussions on generative AI moving into decision-making territory, where systems actively prioritise and orchestrate tasks based on real-time data.

This shift is profound. We’re no longer just automating steps; we’re designing outcome-driven agents that collaborate across tools. The implications for CRM, lifecycle marketing, and ecommerce are huge:

• Autonomous customer journeys, adjusted in real-time.
• Smart segmentation that adapts continuously.
• AI-generated campaigns tested and deployed without human input.
• Predictive product bundling based on customer microbehaviours.
• Recovery agents that detect and address drop-off before abandonment occurs.

One standout example is Bloomreach’s Agentic Suite called Loomi, which includes autonomous agents like Clarity. We've supported the build of Clarity through alpha and beta testing over the past two years – and it's now live, helping brands achieve stronger conversion rates and creating entirely new customer pathways.

Bloomreach Clarity is a generative AI assistant designed to guide online shoppers through their purchase journey. Unlike traditional chatbots, Clarity understands natural language, delivers intelligent product recommendations, and answers customer queries in real time. Built specifically for eCommerce, it helps users find the right products faster, reduces friction, and increases conversion — acting as a 24/7 digital shopping assistant.

Clarity works seamlessly alongside other Loomi AI agents. For example, within contextual personalisation, if key behavioural signals in a microsegment suggest a customer is struggling with product discovery, Bloomreach can automatically trigger a Clarity-powered experience. The AI is then dynamically configured to assist that customer through to conversion, providing timely, relevant support based on intent.

These agents represent a real-world demonstration of how agentic models can lift revenue and optimise digital journeys with minimal manual effort.

What we’re doing: At Pathway, we’re helping brands audit their current data and campaign infrastructure to identify AI-readiness gaps. That includes:

• Structuring customer data for AI agents.
• Integrating platforms like Bloomreach to support intelligent orchestration.
• Piloting autonomous workflows that retain control while accelerating execution.

Unified Commerce: The Customer Journey Without Silos

Every session we attended made one thing clear: consumers no longer care about your internal systems. They expect one brand, one experience, wherever and however they shop.

Unified Commerce — the idea of fully integrating every touchpoint, channel, and data source — is finally moving from aspiration to action.

At Shoptalk, major retailers shared how they’re collapsing barriers between POS, ecommerce, and customer data. At Prolific North, brands spoke of the growing need to align marketing and merchandising teams around a single customer view. Trailblazing Tech highlighted the tech innovation making this possible, from composable stacks to next-gen CDPs.

What we’re doing: Pathway helps businesses bridge strategy and execution. Our work includes:

• Martech audits that uncover fragmentation and inefficiencies.
• Data governance and tracking frameworks that support personalisation at scale.
• Cross-functional workshops to align ecommerce, CRM, and analytics teams.
• Unified commerce isn’t a platform; it’s a philosophy. We help you embed it.

Use cases for Unified Commerce in action:

• A retail brand providing real-time inventory data across both in-store and online, dynamically adjusting local promotions.
• Seamless customer ID resolution to power true personalisation across email, app, web and store.
• Integrated returns and exchanges that recognise lifetime value, not just the last purchase.
• Consistent loyalty incentives applied across physical and digital environments.

Agentic AI Will Drive the Next Wave of Unification

As Agentic AI becomes more embedded in marketing and commerce operations, its true potential relies on how well it can access and act upon unified data.

This means investment is needed not just in AI tooling, but in the foundational architecture that enables it. Well-structured Product Information Management (PIM) systems that clean and enrich product data, Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) that consolidate customer touchpoints, and robust analytics layers will be crucial.

The better your data inputs, the more powerful your AI outcomes.

We’re entering a transformative era — comparable to ecommerce in 1998. We are in year 2 of a 20-year AI led revolution that will radically reshape business models, platforms, experiences and expectations.

The question isn’t if change is coming. It’s: Are you ready for what’s next?

Why This Matters Now

We’re entering an era where technology isn’t the blocker but orchestration is. Many brands have the tools but not the clarity or capability to connect them effectively.

Agentic AI and Unified Commerce are two sides of the same coin: both require clean, connected data, well-architected systems, and a strategy that puts customer outcomes first.

That’s where Pathway comes in. We sit at the intersection of strategy, data, and marketing execution — helping businesses make sense of their stack, unlock value, and accelerate digital performance.

Let’s Talk

If you’re exploring how to unify your tech stack or prepare your organisation for the AI-driven future, we’d love to chat. Whether it’s a discovery workshop, tech audit, or support with campaign automation, Pathway can help you get started quickly and confidently.

Contact us at [email protected] or connect with us on LinkedIn to set up a conversation.