Retailers told to structure product data for AI shopping agents

Consistent product information can help AI agents understand and surface retail listings.

Retailers need to prepare for artificial intelligence (AI) agents that search and compare products on shoppers’ behalf, as industry leaders say discovery is shifting and structured product data is the entry ticket.

Vishal Salunkhe, chief business officer of Carousell Group, said buyer agents rely on structured data, citing an informal test he ran just before the session.

“Asked for a trustworthy high-end bag in Singapore, an AI platform ranked Carousell’s website first and its certified luxury listings second,” Salunkhe said in a panel session at the Retail Asia Summit 2026 in Singapore. 

He said this was not the result of training or search engine marketing, only of certified listings carrying very structured data. His first step for retailers is to structure all data across marketplaces, websites, and apps.

Carousell's tools follow that logic, Salunkhe said. Its List with AI feature, which has been live for almost two years, turns a photo into a structured listing that sellers can edit.

“Seller agents let small and medium-sized enterprises handle chats, queries and orders from five channels, including their own website, Telegram, Instagram or Facebook, Carousell, and eBay,” he added.

Monika Mikušová, regional senior director of marketing for APAC at foodpanda, said the platform is building plugins so vendors appear earlier in agent-led discovery.

“It is also developing agents to help restaurants improve listing photos, descriptions and menu sorting, aimed at small businesses without the capability or budget to invest in AI,” she noted.

For Dennis Yap, senior director for digital and technology (commercial management solutions) at CapitaLand Investment,  discovery is only step one, followed by trust and then the transaction.

“CapitaLand's loyalty app, which serves a combined 25 million members across its two CapitaStar programmes, has run an AI agent called Casey for about one and a half years,” Yap shared to the audience.

He said food and beverage is taking a growing share of mall space as retail shifts online, and that CapitaLand has not seen overall revenue fall.

Moderator Shaurya Ahuja, EY-Parthenon partner for consumer products and retail, said agents could cut the three to four hours people spend on their phones to about one, raising the question of where the freed time goes.

“Being searchable by agents is a ‘no-regret' move even if it is not the most important capability to build,” Ahuja added.

Pang Fu Wei, vice president of the Singapore Retailers Association and group managing director of Kim Hin International, said the bigger risk is inaction because the technology is coming hard and fast.

He said retailers need clear internal guidelines so teams can experiment safely.