Techub News reports that Jan Kniffen, CEO of retail consulting firm J. Rogers Kniffen Worldwide Enterprises, said on CNBC that AI shopping agents will soon select and purchase products for consumers, potentially putting traditional brands such as Nike at risk of losing customers. He noted that when consumers ask for a product category (such as “running shoes”) rather than a specific brand, AI agents may prioritize competitors like Hoka or On. Nike has been under pressure recently: its latest quarterly revenue fell 4%, and it expects a high-single-digit decline this fiscal year. Although Nike has tried selling through AI channels such as Google’s Gemini chatbot, AI agents may still choose competitors. Kniffen believes scale remains crucial in the AI era and said Walmart is the best operator in the U.S. at applying AI. Citi analysts noted in a report that Nike is shifting toward a cost-cutting narrative. The company’s stock is down 47% year to date, making it one of the worst-performing components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. (BeInCrypto)