• AnnouncingThe Forrester Wave™: Commerce Services, Q1 2026and the upcomingBuyer’s Guide: Commerce Services, 2026 Consumers are becomingaccustomedtoscanning social feeds for product inspiration, finding the right replacement part on answer engines, and using self-checkout at their local stores. • Business buyers use AIbeyond searchfor tasks like detailed product comparisons.The Forrester Wave™: Commerce Services, Q1 2026reveals how commerce services providers are rewriting long-standing commerce strategy playbooks and prompting leaders to reach today’s buyers through AI-powered commerce transformations. • Per Forrester’s Business And Technology Services Survey, 2025,55%of global services decision-makers tell us that they consider third-party providers as strategic partners when they have experience working with that provider and trust that they deliver on their commitments. • Another 43% of these global decision-makers confirm that they will use a services provider for agentic AI in the next 12 months. • Before signing on the dotted line, commerce leaders need to ask the tough questions to validate how prospective services providers will cocreate the next generation of experiences for them - specifically, how providers will deliver: 1. • Dual optimization for humans and agents.Tomorrow’s storefronts and back offices must balance emotional experiences for humans and data-driven experiences for AI agents.

Article Summaries:

  • Forrester’s Q1 2026 Commerce Services Wave highlights a shift toward “agentic commerce,” where AI‑driven shoppers and human buyers coexist. The report notes that 55 % of global services decision‑makers view third‑party providers as strategic partners, and 43 % plan to engage a provider for agentic AI within a year. Providers are now redefining playbooks around three pillars: dual optimization for human and AI experiences, AI‑powered operations such as demand forecasting and inventory management, and modern performance‑based business models. The Wave urges leaders to demand concrete case studies and measurable outcomes before signing, as the industry moves toward data‑driven, resilient commerce ecosystems.

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