The Iconic's chief technology and product officer Adam Cox believes AI-driven agentic checkout has the potential to support more considered buying decisions over time, hitting back at assumptions that the technology could simply drive impulse buying.
"I can see the potential for agentic shopping to support more considered purchase decisions, not less, by bringing more comparison into the discovery and decision-making moment," Cox said. "That's a behaviour we may start to understand over the pilot phase."
Cox was responding to questions about The Iconic's participation in Google's Universal Commerce Protocol, which the retailer joined as a foundational launch partner. Returns – a significant cost centre in online fashion – were flagged as a key area of observation during the pilot.
Cox said The Iconic's returns proposition remained deliberate regardless of where a customer discovered a product.
"Easy returns are also a part of our customer proposition,” Cox said. “They remove a key point of friction and give customers the confidence to shop with us."
He added that efforts to reduce avoidable returns through size guidance, product information, imagery and product detail applied across all channels.
On the broader rationale for joining Google's UCP early, Cox pointed to shifting consumer behaviour. He said that customers are increasingly using AI platforms to seek inspiration, ask questions, compare options and make buying decisions.
"The AI Brandscape 2026 report indicates 39 per cent of Australians use AI to help make buying decisions, so for us, the question isn't whether the shift will impact retail but how we can help shape it."
Cox described the integration as additive to The Iconic's existing digital strategy rather than a threat to its owned channels. "It shortens the path from intent to purchase on platforms we already know our customers are increasingly engaging with for discovery," he said, adding that The Iconic's app and website remain its primary shopping destinations, where customers can access its full assortment, content, loyalty experience and broader service proposition.
Cox said Google's UCP provides The Iconic with a new layer for demand capture across Google's AI surfaces, particularly for high-intent, product-led purchases.
Semrush data shows that The Iconic’s online traffic in May 2026 this year totalled 7.69 million, placing The Iconic in second place among the most-visited apparel and fashion retail sites in Australia – well-behind Myer in first place with total traffic of 13.06 million in May 2026.
The Iconic is also just ahead of Shein, with the ultra-fast fashion giant pulling in 6.94 million visits in May 2026.
Asked whether being surfaced through a Google AI agent risked pulling The Iconic into a price-comparison race, Cox said the retailer's proposition was not built on price alone.
"Customers are already comparing price, availability, delivery speed and returns across multiple channels,” Cox said. “What Google's UCP changes is the context in which those decisions are made, and the speed and ease at which discovery can move through to purchase.
“That does not change our commercial strategy because our proposition is not built on price alone; it's built on trust, relevance and experience."
Cox said the pilot phase would be used to identify friction points, including limitations such as single-item checkout and a singular payment method, and to understand how the new discovery layer could complement existing channels.
On product content strategy, Cox said AI-assisted discovery had raised the stakes for structured data.
"Strong imagery, clear styling cues, rich product data and detailed attributes have become even more important. They need to be structured in a way that AI can interpret and surface accurately, while still reflecting the strength of The Iconic brand experience."
Google does not receive commission on the sale of The Iconic items processed via Google Pay through UCP.