How Are Your Customers Using AI Agents?

Overview: AI agents are everywhere, but what does that mean for multi-location marketers? Are customers actually using these tools? And how should you adapt your strategy to stay relevant? Let's break it down. AI agents are about to change how customers discover, engage with, and buy from brands.

• AI agents are expected to add $16T to the global economy within just five years.

• 24% of all customers are comfortable with AI agents shopping for them (rising to 32% for Gen Z).

• 34% of customers will engage with AI agents to avoid repetitive interactions.

Unlike traditional or even AI-driven search engines, AI agents aren't just answering questions or sharing recommendations — they're driving action.

AI agents use artificial intelligence to solve problems, make decisions, and perform tasks on behalf of customers. Also called agentic AI, AI agents control their own multi-step processes, to take action with minimal human intervention.

AI agents are context and real-time aware, with the ability to filter results based on personalized preferences. Whether booking appointments, managing purchases, or curating shopping lists, AI agents are reshaping customer interactions.

So, let's dive into how your customers are already using AI agents across the entire journey, and then talk strategies for reaching them in an agentic AI experience.

Finding brands, products, providers, and services with an AI agent

Customers use AI agents to search for everything from restaurants to healthcare providers.

AI agents don't just return search results — they curate options based on real-time context, personal preferences, and past behavior. Think: "Find me Ethiopian food no more than 40 min. from home with outdoor seating and vegan options" or "Show me an optometrist with Saturday hours who takes Cigna."

What this means for marketers:

• Make sure your data is accurate. Your business name, address, hours, and services should be correct and consistent across all platforms. Inaccuracy can knock you out of contention for these detailed requests.

• Optimize for long-tail queries. Focus on conversational, specific language that mimics how people naturally ask questions. Generative AI in AI agent partnerships uses this content to deliver context-rich information.

Understanding options with comparisons provided by AI agents

AI agents are great at helping customers weigh their choices.

Imagine a customer asking an AI agent, "Which business-class hotels near Heathrow offer a free breakfast, a 24-hour fitness center, and a pool?" The AI agent will pull inreviews, amenities, pricing, and photos or video tours to create a comprehensive comparison.

What this means for marketers:

• Highlight your strengths. Make sure the details that set your brand apart (like unique amenities or standout customer reviews) are easy for AI to find. You can't surface if you don't get specific about your free hot breakfast, saltwater pool, rooftop fitness center, and airport shuttles leaving every 15 minutes.

• Leverage schema markup and your knowledge graph. Using structured data allows AI agents to interpret your information accurately. Use markup to showcase reviews, pricing, and key features. Don't overlook creating structured data in all your metadata fields, either.

Advising, booking, and buying with an AI agent

What sets AI agents apart from other types of AI-driven tools? Action.

Here's where AI agents shine: they don't just help customers research — they help customers take action. AI agents can take the friction out of day-to-day task management and lifestyle choices:

• Book a manicure for 2 p.m. on Saturday at a salon with 5-star reviews.

• Purchase dog food from a store offering same-day curbside pickup.

• Reserve a space in a Yin yoga class at the customer's gym.

• Book accommodations for an annual family reunion.

What this means for marketers:

• Make actions easy to execute. Make sure your booking, ordering, or scheduling tools integrate seamlessly with platforms AI agents rely on.

• Monitor conversion points. Track how customers move from discovery to action, then resolve friction points along the journey.

Creating personalized relationships from interactions with AI agents

AI agents operate like personal assistants that get to know your preferences.

AI agents aren't just helpful for one-off transactions. Over time, they adapt to feedback, search criteria, digital interactions, and buying behavior. This adaptation improves the quality of their personalized recommendations. Think curated skincare routines, tailored fitness and nutrition plans, or bespoke travel itineraries.

What this means for marketers:

• Data strategy is your marketing strategy. AI agents prioritize accurate, context-rich data. You can raise your profile by providing them with a strong foundation of structured and unstructured data that you keep fresh and consistent.

• Focus on value: Offer content and experiences that feel personal and relevant to build trust and stay on your customers' short list of preferred brands to buy from.

AI agents are reshaping the customer journey. They may own all of it someday (and it may happen sooner than we think). The brands that adapt and embrace them now will be the brands that thrive in our AI search-driven landscape.

Learn how Scout can help AI search agents and human consumers find your brand first.