Marketing tech
fromFast Company
3 hours agoIn the age of AI agents, your customer may still buy from you, but they may no longer visit you
The rise of AI agents is shifting customer interactions away from traditional company-controlled interfaces.
"This was a natural next step in a relationship that's already delivering for our customers," Aldi COO Dave Rinaldo said in an email. "Customers get a more seamless shopping experience while Aldi remains focused on what we do best - delivering high-quality groceries at the lowest possible prices."
"Transportation costs are a big factor there. Every company that is involved and has logistics and they have to pay for gas, either they have to absorb this cost, or they will charge the third party that will provide this service. I'm not surprised this is happening, because at some point, Amazon will say we cannot absorb all this cost."
The convenience of sourcing online is fraught with more pitfalls than most of us want to admit. Try finding adequate photos of a vintage piece's condition-close-ups of the fabric, video of damaged areas, any images of a piece's rear or underside!
There's a lot of cool stuff out there - but finding something truly cool and cheap? That's rare. The genius inventions below are selling out because they check both boxes. From stuff that'll make your days run easier to fun little things for your car, home, and daily routine, prices start at just a few bucks.
Surveys suggest customers want to use AI for shopping and to see AI tools from retailers. In a CI&T survey conducted in 2025, 58% of 1,040 U.S. consumers said retailers should use AI to improve the shopping experience, and almost 75% said they were already using AI tools at least occasionally in their path to purchase. In a separate survey from Gartner last March, 56% of millennials said they would be willing to let AI handle or assist with some of their shopping tasks.
A 2025 LinkedIn study found that 80% of C-suite executives believe AI adoption is important and will foster a more innovative workplace culture. Gartner reported in December 2025 that 65% of employees said they are excited to use AI at work. The trend suggests a convergence of three priorities: Management fears their companies will fall behind if they don't adopt AI and automation; Employees use AI because it makes their jobs easier, and the knowledge gained is an important career skill; The cost of off-the-shelf software and development makes AI an attractive alternative.
You're scrolling through an online retailer, like Amazon, Shein or eBay, and spot a shirt on sale for $40. You add it to your cart, but at checkout, a $10 shipping fee suddenly appears. Frustrated, you close the tab. But what if that same shirt was priced at $50 with free shipping? The likelihood that you would have bought it without a second thought is much higher.
At a time when digital channels increasingly define commercial success, online marketplaces have become essential tools for small and medium-sized enterprises to reach customers and drive revenue. For many SMEs, marketplaces offer a ready-made audience without the significant acquisition costs of standalone ecommerce sites, but the simple act of listing product ranges isn't enough to guarantee results. To succeed, businesses must approach their marketplace presence strategically, optimising every element of their listings for discovery, relevance and conversion.