Locally launches AI-ready storefronts for brand dealer networks

Locally on June 16, 2026 launched Agentic Storefronts, a product that makes authorized dealer inventory visible and purchasable through AI shopping agents in real time. The move targets a fast-growing channel where local intent is common and brands risk losing sales when agents cannot verify nearby stock. Why it matters: - AI shopping traffic has surged 1,200% year over year, and 58% of consumers now use AI for research. - BrightLocal found that 63% of agentic shopping prompts carry local intent, which means shoppers are asking for products they can buy nearby right away. - Brands can lose sales when AI agents identify a product but cannot verify local stock, pickup, or delivery options. - Locally is positioning authorized dealer networks as a new source of real-time inventory data for AI shopping. What happened: - Locally announced Agentic Storefronts on June 16, 2026 in New Orleans. - The product gives consumer brands AI-ready local shopping destinations on their own domains. - Agentic Storefronts makes authorized dealer networks visible, queryable and transactable through AI shopping agents. - Locally said the product is available now for brand clients on its platform. - Brands can contact Locally at join.locally.com to activate the storefronts. The details: - Agentic Storefronts live at dedicated on-domain addresses such as stores.brand.com. - Locally said the setup helps AI agents recognize those pages as authoritative. - Agents can query Locally’s endpoint directly for real-time structured data, including store hours and variant-level stock. - The system includes a brand-specific MCP endpoint for querying availability and purchase paths. - Supporting layers include nightly LLMs.txt maps, JSON-LD for inventory detection and Schema.org markup for indexability. - Agentic Storefronts can surface UPC-variant inventory, vetted store details, brand-curated fulfillment options such as BOPIS, ROPIS and Same-Day Delivery, and service attributes like expert credentials. - Locally’s intelligence layer distinguishes AI traffic from human traffic and tracks agent-crawling frequency, inventory queries and AI-sourced funnel flow. - The platform also provides traditional attribution data. Between the lines: - The launch reflects a shift in local commerce from search optimization to machine-readable inventory verification. - Brands with strong retail footprints may still be underrepresented in AI recommendations if their inventory is not structured for agent access. - Locally is betting that the advantage will come from owning the data infrastructure, not just the storefront experience. - CEO and founder Mike Massey said agentic shopping is already reshaping how consumers buy local and that every day a brand’s local presence stays invisible is a day of sales going elsewhere. - President Billy McKee said AI agents can push customers away if they cannot find verified real-time inventory and that the company’s network now spans 65,000 retailers. What’s next: - Locally says brands can use its existing retail network to activate Agentic Storefronts without building new infrastructure. - The company said a brand with 220 stores can reach 90% of the U.S. population through Locally’s 65,000-retailer network. - Brands that adopt the product will be able to compete more directly for local-intent queries inside AI assistants. - The company is likely to market the product as a way to keep transactions inside authorized dealer networks instead of losing them to marketplaces or unverified sources. The bottom line: - Locally is trying to turn AI shopping agents into a measurable sales channel for brands with local inventory, not just a discovery layer.