When AI agents can research products in depth and make tailored recommendations, the traditional role of brand as a trust shortcut may shrink. In this episode, Steve Phillips, Founder, Chair and Chief Innovation Officer at Zappi, joins host Niels Schillewaert, Head of Research, Conveo.ai, to unpack “agentic shopping” and how AI-mediated decisions could reshape marketing and insights. Steve shares a real example of using Claude to choose a car, frames agent-driven choice as “system three” (system two on steroids), and explains why agents may prioritize specifics like ingredients, reviews, and scientific evidence over symbolism and advertising. They discuss category differences, how research may shift toward deeper human understanding and human-agent interaction, early experiments like surveying agents, and why insights leaders should lean into AI and lead organizational change.
00:00 Brand Collapses With Agents
00:42 Podcast Intro And Guest
01:44 What Is Agentic Shopping
02:32 Car Buying With Claude
05:12 System Three Decision Making
07:04 Why Brands Lose Power
09:42 Category Differences And Grocery
11:35 What Researchers Study Now
12:44 Agent Behavior And Discoverability
15:22 How To Experiment And Innovate
18:41 New Service Line For Insights
21:09 Skills And Industry Opportunity
24:31 One Thing To Do Tomorrow
25:05 Closing And Subscribe
Insights & Innovators Podcast from MRII | Hosted by The Greenbook Podcast Network
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