PARIS — Gap Inc. is testing artificial intelligence-driven sizing tools as the industry preps to move to “agentic commerce,” where AI shopping assistants increasingly make purchase decisions on behalf of consumers.

“AI should remove friction, not add it,” Gap chief technology officer Sven Gerjets told WWD. “Sizing has long been one of the biggest points of uncertainty in apparel. By making fit intelligence available to AI agents, we’re creating a more intuitive, human-centered shopping experience that gives customers confidence in every click.”

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The San Francisco-based retailer is among early partners testing a protocol launched Wednesday by Bold Metrics, aimed at enabling AI shopping agents to deliver personalized size recommendations during online buys. The move is part of a broader road map for brands as they ready themselves for a new phase of e-commerce.

While AI agents can already suggest products, compare styles and check availability, fit remains one of the most expensive unresolved problems in apparel e-commerce, driving billions of dollars in returns annually and continuing to undermine sales conversion, said Bold Metrics chief technology officer Morgan Linton.

“AI shopping agents hitting the market right now struggle to answer the most critical question in apparel,” he said. “The moment a shopper asks, ‘What size should I get?’ the AI agent does not have a clear path to accurately determine the right size. Agentic Sizing Protocol addresses this gap and enables a much more personalized agentic decision process that goes beyond size and captures a shopper’s unique fit preference. In agentic commerce, every second of delay drives abandonment, so performance isn’t optional; it’s critical.”

The Agentic Sizing Protocol allows AI systems to ask shoppers a small number of questions through natural conversation and generate size recommendations based on body data and fit preferences. Instead of relying on static size charts or lengthy questionnaires, it delivers personalized, human-readable guidance — for example, whether a garment will feel snug at the waist or relaxed through the chest — and can be integrated directly into AI shopping agents then applied across platforms.

The system builds on Bold Metrics’ core technology, which creates a “digital twin” of a shopper’s body from minimal inputs and combines it with garment-level fit data. This enables a more nuanced approach to sizing, one that accounts not only for body measurements but also for individual preferences, such as opting for a looser jacket to accommodate layering.

The partnership highlights how retailers are beginning to address the shift to AI-driven shopping. As consumers move from browsing websites or links from search engines to interacting with AI agents on a personal level, the ability to accurately determine size will be a key turning point for brands to be able to close sales.

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