Online shopping sucks. AI is making it 10x better.
Online shopping sucks. It’s frustrating, inefficient, and cumbersome. But not to worry—AI is coming to the rescue.
The Current State: Friction and Frustration
Let’s say I am buying new gear for a camping trip in Alaska. My gear list might include a duffle bag, a waterproof jacket, a fleece, a T-shirt, socks, and hiking shoes.
Buying these items online involves multiple annoying steps:
Google search
Browse numerous SEO-optimized articles (e.g. “20 best rain jackets for 2024”)
Add items to carts on various sites
Repeat steps 1-3 for each item
This friction-filled experience leads to unhappy consumers and lost revenue.
10x-ing the Online Shopping Experience
AI is making online shopping 10x better. Ironically, AI is transforming online shopping into an experience akin to shopping in a store.
In a traditional brick-and-mortar store, an employee helps the customer find items that suit their needs—purpose, price, style, and size. AI is enabling digital shopping assistants to perform a similar role.
Returning to the Alaska example, I can simply tell the AI:
"I'm going to Alaska in December. I need a duffle bag for a week's clothes, two types of rain jackets, trail running shoes, socks, and a few lightweight T-shirts. I wear size XL and prefer orange, dark green, and black."
The AI assistant will then recommend relevant products based on these preferences.
Here is a rough demo I put together of a digital shopping assistant in ChatGPT:
AI Shopping at Walmart
Walmart recently partnered with Microsoft to integrate AI into their digital shopping experience.
The example use case they give in their announcement is simple: A father is planning a unicorn-themed birthday party for his daughter. Instead of searching individually for “pink streamers,” “unicorn paper plates,” “unicorn balloons,” etc., etc., he can simply search, "I am planning a unicorn-themed birthday party for my daughter," and get all the relevant products in one go.
Impact on Consumers and Companies
Consumers want efficient, tailored shopping experiences. Soon, AI-powered shopping will be a standard expectation, and companies that fail to adapt will be left behind.
For Consumers: The buying process becomes much easier, with digital assistants finding the desired products quickly.
For Companies: Embracing AI-powered product interaction and discovery is crucial. Those who do will attract more customers and revenue, while those who don't will fall behind.
In Sum
AI-powered online shopping will revolutionize the online shopping experience by reducing friction--making product discovery and interaction 10x better. Adapting to this shift isn’t a matter of if, but when.
If you are interested in AI’s impact on the Consumer sector, send me an email at bennie@axonintelligence.co. I’d love to chat.
See you in the future,
Bennie 3
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