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AI Will Manage 90% of the Order Lifecycle for Nearly Half of Retailers, IDC Forecasts

Artificial intelligence is set to rewire every facet of the retail industry.

Published: Nov 9, 2025 7:49 AM

By Jeanel Alvarado

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AI Will Manage 90% of the Order Lifecycle for Nearly Half of Retailers, IDC Forecasts

Artificial intelligence is set to rewire every facet of the retail industry. A new IDC Retail Insights report forecasts that by 2028, AI will manage 90% of the order lifecycle for 45% of retailers with minimal human oversight, a monumental leap in efficiency powered by today’s investments in real-time inventory control and automation. This shift will fundamentally change retail operations, customer interactions, and backend processes. Retailers investing heavily now in AI for orchestration and inventory management will be best positioned to lead in a world where order fulfillment is nearly autonomous.

1. Agentic Commerce Goes Mainstream IDC predicts the rise of agentic commerce, with an ecosystem of AI assistants, platforms, custom agents, and specialized tools expected to drive 15% of all e-commerce sales by 2027.

These smart agents will help shoppers discover, evaluate, and purchase products in real time—ushering in a new era of personalized, seamless online shopping. 2. Deepfake Detection and Fraud Prevention Fraud is evolving, and so is retail’s defense.

By 2028, 60% of large retailers will deploy AI-powered deepfake detection, blocking 70% of social engineering and phishing attempts and slashing overall retail fraud losses by 35%. As schemes become more sophisticated, robust digital security becomes a non-negotiable priority. 3.

Global Trade Management Surges Managing global trade and compliance is another area ripe for transformation. IDC projects that by 2027, 30% of medium and large retailers will accelerate customs compliance by 90%, boost risk management by 75%, and speed up sourcing decisions by 50% with AI-powered trade tools. 4…

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AI Will Manage 90% of the Order Lifecycle for Nearly Half of Retailers, IDC Forecasts

Artificial intelligence is set to rewire every facet of the retail industry.

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