The future of e-commerce I wrote for a magazine Ecommerce Bridge Czechia. It's free. Try it yourself. This is an updated and abridged version of the text.
Online shopping is in for a revolution. They have to. AI labs have no choice but to try to change the status quo in a place where money flows.
By Sequoia Capital misses in AI approximately $600 billion per year. Investors want their money back. The question is not whether the world of e-commerce will change. The question is when.
What it might look like...
How do I shop today?
I'll do a search through ChatGPT or Perplexity. I'll find a product. I choose from what the shopping platform, the comparator or the specific e-shop shows me. I buy through the e-shop. Sometimes the goods arrive in 2 days, other times in 2 weeks. The handover is accompanied by a loud discussion with the courier, who arrives at the worst possible time.
“The future is already here. It's just not evenly distributed.”
- William Gibson
How will I shop in a few years?
I have an AI agent in glasses. He knows the contents of my closet. He has my profile mapped out. On my instruction, he will find suitable summer clothes for me. It gives me a choice in my app. Negotiates with stores and carriers the best terms. Everything will be delivered from different e-shops and platforms according to convenience. I have shipments in the trunk of my car within 3 hours. He writes reviews based on what I like and how it suits me.
No e-shop. No grader. No marketplace.
“Stress comes from ignoring things you shouldn't ignore.”
- Jeff Bezos
AI is already serving as a source of visits and brand mentions. How can we continue into the future?
- AI tools will direct visitors to your e-shop. [0,1% of orders from AI]
- Instead of people, AI begins to buy (it's already happening). Agent selects product, sends order, pays. [2% of orders from AI]
- The relationship with the customer is acquired by an AI agent. It will start entering “your” e-mail and phone into the e-shop. You won't do much about it. [6% of orders from AI]
- You start paying some AI agents a percentage of the sales of products they buy from you. [13% of AI orders]
- AI agents more and more prefer e-shops that pay them. Commissions of AI agents are going up. E-shops have an infrastructure that bears all the risks associated with buying and selling goods. [26% of orders from AI]
- AI agents begin to negotiate. The robot will call, say that it has a customer for you and suggests a 20% discount and free repair as a good foundation for a future relationship. The good news is that an AI agent picks it up on your side too and somehow they agree [39% of orders from AI]
Percentages are a model example. As the importance of AI agents grows, their appetite for making money will grow.
It's already happening. OpenAI launched online purchases in ChatGPT. For the U.S. For Shopify and Etsy. If it proves successful there, then sooner or later AI agents will start buying instead of people.
It's a good thing for customers. In a lot of cases, people do not want to become experts in choosing a lawn mower. People want to have a mowed garden. Thanks to AI, the customer does not have to solve anything.
What now?
Depends on what situation you're in. At the same time, do not trust my strategies. Create your own. There are always more possibilities... and in order to take advantage of them, you need to see them. We teach it in training Strategic thinking (March).
E-shop owner (reseller)
Someone out there has money. He does not keep track of changes in e-commerce. Sell him your e-shop. Every product order is a huge risk for you that you will be left with products in stock because someone else will sell them cheaper and agents will buy them elsewhere as a result. There are exceptions with a very strong brand -- Alza, Notino,... but you're probably not.
E-shop owner (reseller with exclusivity)
Do you have the sole right to sell the brand in certain markets? Fix this deal for as long as possible as soon as possible. In return, build a brand for your manufacturer.
Maker
Build a strong brand for your products. When AI tools recommend it, you're half won. Work with customers. Have all the consents so you can address them with a horde of bottoms. Your active customer base is your gold (don't confuse this with the loyalty program!). Expand it however you can... while it can.
Logistics company
Speed up. Regular e-shop delivers within two working days. Alza delivers to the Alzaboxes by the next day. Today, the roll can be delivered in a matter of hours. What prevents you from also being able to deliver cheaply in a matter of hours?
Platform, marketplace, comparator
Build a purchasing AI agent that will compete with other AI tools. Use available models. Block competitors' AI agents. Pull people together and reinforce their habit of shopping at your place.
Get ready for AI in marketing today. The practical basis will give you training AI Marketing Lab. We start 15. 10.
“The strategy is the hypothesis that under these conditions, in this way and in these markets, we will be successful. “
— Jaroslav Prochazka
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