Leveraging the post-sale journey to perform better in AI search

When we talk about agentic commerce, conversation is often centered on search and discovery, how and why consumers are using LLMs or how to convert AI search listings into traffic and sales.

But a new report from Trustpilot concludes that the biggest opportunities and risks actually occur in the post-purchase experience. Trustpilot analyzed 4.5 million reviews from consumers in the US and found seamless returns and effective post-purchase support remain some of the biggest drivers of trust and competitive differentiation. 

In an increasingly agentic economy, it isn't difficult to see why.    

When LLMs become an intermediary during the sales journey, the post-sale journey becomes the primary opportunity to build a direct relationship with the human at the end of the transaction, while generating the positive sentiment on third party platforms that helps LLMs surface a specific brand in future results. 

It's a flywheel effect that brands are working hard to leverage.

"Post-sales care is a huge part of the growth engine for a busineses," says Alicia Skubick, chief customer officer for Trustpilot. "At Trustpilot we see brands that proactively build trust – some of that is by having a great experience end-to-end, including the returns process – are cited 75 times more in AI search than inactive competitors."

She continues: "The shift is redefining customer service from a cost center into a growth driver and looking at the value it drives as part of both customer acquisition and growth of the business." 

This analysis explores:

• Practical steps brands can take to improve the operations that power the post-sale customer journey.
• How and why brands are focused on improving  fulfilment performance for human.
• Five strategic fixes from Trustpilot to help retailers convert customer trust into a competitive advantage.

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How connected systems improve the post-sale customer journey 

Even before agentic commerce, clicking "buy" was far from the end of the customer journey. In the post-sale phase, customer expectations heighten further and customers may feel a range of emotions, from anticipation and excitement to – hopefully – satisfaction. 

"The experience after checkout needs to reflect the expectations created before the purchase," says Eric Kobe, CEO of Route.  "That starts with connecting the systems that power order management, shipment tracking, customer support, returns and exchanges, so that customers receive proactive updates, issues are resolved quickly and exchanges or returns are straightforward."

The reason is simple: better operations create better experiences. Having a sale in the bag is only the start of the customer relationship. Every subsequent delivery update, exchange, return and customer interaction is a potential opportunity to either reinforce or erode the trust that initial transaction created and in future, secure repeat sales. 

"As agentic commerce grows in adoption, those post-purchase experiences will influence whether someone buys again as well as whether AI systems continue recommending that brand in the first place," Kobe explains.

Improving  fulfilment performance for human and algorithmic buyers

Building these trust points with human customers has the potential to create a flywheel effect that also improves visibility with future algorithmic buyers. 

Al Gerrie, CEO of  ZigZag, says fulfilment performance is "impossible to hide from" in an agentic economy. "If AI assistants are filtering retailers on behalf of shoppers, they won't just look at price and product availability. They will look at whether a retailer actually delivers, whether refunds are fast, whether exceptions are managed properly, and whether customers are left chasing updates," he says, clarifying that this makes post-purchase performance both a commercial and an operational issue. 

He adds: "It comes down to velocity, scope and quality. Retailers need to move quickly, cover the full post-purchase journey and keep the quality of experience consistent."

To support retailers, earlier this year ZigZag launched an end-to-end service that encompasses delivery, tracking and returns to drive repeat purchases for its retail clients, built on the consumer demands for convenience and choice.

Gerrie explains: "Any friction after the point of purchase is an obstacle to customer loyalty. Combining our existing infrastructure with a sophisticated set of tracking and notification tools gives us far more visibility of where shoppers encounter barriers like hidden fees, confusing portals or poor communication. That knowledge is crucial to reliably generating more revenue and loyal shoppers for all our retail clients."

What agentic commerce means for service leaders 

Positive information about a brand on third party platforms – think press, customer reviews and social media – means the better that brand will perform in AI search.

In the race for favorable mentions, the smart brands have stopped seeing service as an isolated business function. Instead, they appreciate that for a business to deliver excellence, other departments, such as marketing and operations, need to be part of the drive.

"Brands really need to have a reputation and trust-focused task force where the teams can look at feedback on their reviews, social media and really understand what's happening. Because the journeys that marketing used to drive are often actually driven by CX in the upfront stages now," says Skubick. 

She adds that teams should be "partnering together to understand the trends and if there are issues you need to be aware of, and to understand operational insights". 
She adds: "We have some great stories from our customers of seeing almost real-time data of issues emerging, for example, in specific branches or with a specific item having a supplier challenge. For their teams to be able to share that information on the operational side is really important."

5  ways to improve service and capture more AI traffic

Trustpilot's research was conducted in February 2026 and analyzed 4.5 million consumer reviews from 2025, from customers in the US. It then presented 11 strategic fixes for retail companies to help convert customer trust into a competitive advantage. 

The recommendations include:

1.Treat the returns experience as a loyalty tool

A bad returns experience on a review platform is "the single largest destroyer of trust in US retail". This calls for a redesign of how processes currently work, from the time it takes for payments to clear to making exchanges easier. Trustpilot says a frictionless return "is a loyalty investment, with a measurable ROI in repeat purchase rates".

2. Rethink the use of AI in your after-sales support

Trustpilot concluded that AI "excels at pre-purchase discovery and visualization", however, multiple studies are quantifying just how much customers resent the use of AI in support and service, particularly in regulation industries or for high-value purchases. 

3. Leverage reviews as real-time intelligence

As outlined by Skubick, closely monitoring customer review and listening tools can flag issues in real-time and help the early intervention that saves trust – and sales. 

4. Fix your promo code tech

Glitches are a major bugbear for consumers, particularly when they're trying to redeem a promotion. It's basic and it costs brands dearly during peak periods. 

5. Close the feedback loop

At a time where some are talking about synthetic data, it seems odd to revisit one of VoC's oldest problems: the unclosed feedback loop. However, many organizations forget that real-time reviews from real human customers often deliver all the insights they need to identify and address the pain points that cost business.

Trustpilot says negative reviews without responses confirm customers' worst fears and that brands that respond well to 1-star reviews "can convert critics into advocates".

We know agents judge brands on what can be verified – not on their marketing claims. This means when AI assistants and AI search are the digital front door to your brand, outcome and efficiency matter more than ever. 

We're still at a point where hybrid journeys are the dominant model, but as people build stronger familiarity and trust with AI search and  AI agents, the bigger a role these platforms will play in their journeys as consumers. 

For organizations, this means standards are higher than ever and promises must be backed with verified actions. 

Quick links 

• The age of agentic loyalty: How Woolworths, Kmart and Bunnings are embracing the agents
  
• The discovery disruption: 3 steps to take you from SEO to agentic readiness
• Keeping promises: How to align operations, marketing, and CX