Will AI Choose Your Brand?
What makes your brand special to AI?
After over 15 years in online retail—spanning digital strategy, ecommerce operations, and brand transformation—I’ve seen the sector evolve through every digital wave. But nothing compares to what’s happening right now. AI isn’t just enhancing retail—it’s restructuring it from the ground up. And the biggest shift is in how customers discover and choose products.
But before we talk about AI, let’s talk about the shopper.
Ask yourself—do you really think the future of shopping looks like what we experience today?
Clicking through endless websites. Reading hundreds of reviews. Comparing products across tabs. Typing in credit card numbers. Forgetting passwords. Dealing with clunky checkouts. Waiting for confirmation emails. Wondering if the item will arrive on time.
These aren’t features. They’re friction. And they’re about to be removed—permanently.
Soon, intelligent AI agents will know your preferences, your context, your budget, and your urgency. Product discovery won’t start with a search bar—it will start with a need. AI will handle the rest: suggesting, ordering, dispatching, and even servicing. Seamlessly. Invisibly. Instantly. And that changes everything for brands.
AI Will Choose – But Will It Choose You?
We’re entering an AI-rich era, where machines—not people—decide what products get surfaced, recommended, and transacted. This isn’t theory—it’s already happening.
The biggest risk for retailers isn’t moving too slowly. It’s a misunderstanding where the real influence now sits.
In this new world, many retailers will have zero control over whether their brand is even seen. AI will determine what to show, not based on heritage or marketing, but based on structured product data, stock reliability, speed, and price. It might choose TEMU over Jaycar—not because it’s more trusted, but because it’s faster, cheaper, and easier for AI to interpret.
AI doesn’t ask, “Who’s the most iconic?”
It asks, “Who’s the most efficient to recommend?”
TEMU and similar marketplaces are designed from the ground up for this world: structured listings, API-integrated fulfilment, aggressive pricing, trackable outcomes. Meanwhile, legacy retailers—especially in Australia—are often built on fragmented platforms. Disconnected systems. Delayed stock feeds. Content that was written for humans but is unreadable to machines.
That’s no longer just a back-end issue.
It’s the reason your brand may never be shown.
The Divide Is Forming
On one side: brands embracing this new AI-first reality. Clean product feeds—API-ready content. Accurate stock positions. Seamless fulfilment. On the other side: brands still relying on gut feel, disconnected CMS platforms, and outdated merchandising logic. In an AI-rich world, the latter group won’t just lose share. They’ll lose visibility.
But this is not a doomsday scenario—it’s a moment of massive opportunity. AI doesn’t favour size or legacy. It favours clarity. And that gives every brand a shot—if they’re ready.
What Retailers Need to Do Now
This isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about preparing for a system that has already changed. Retailers need to:
Structure product data for AI readability
Standardise content and stock feeds across channels
Integrate fulfilment logic that’s clean and reliable
Design experiences that are frictionless and machine-readable
This is no longer optional. It’s foundational. The brands that align to these signals will be the ones that AI discovers, prioritises, and delivers—again and again.
Final Thought
Retail is going digital.
Discovery is becoming AI-driven.
And the brands that adapt now won’t just survive—they’ll lead.
If you’d like to discuss your AI strategy, please don't hesitate to reach out. I’m always open to helping brands prepare for what’s next.
