Tessera

This week's brief is out, and includes a story I was mentioned in around Google's Universal Cart. What's your take on the universal cart? www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/google-... #Ecommerce #retail #agenticcommerce

Google Universal Cart, Amazon Agentic Ads, Consumer AI Shopping Preferences, Grocery Bot Pricing — Greg Zakowicz

Experts weigh in on Google Universal Cart and what it means for retailers, Amazon introduces agentic ads inside Alexa+ at Cannes, new PYMNTS research shows consumers prefer AI assistance over autonomy...

gregzakowicz.com

Stories: 1. Salesforce acquires Fin 2. Google released an AI opt-out feature you shouldn't use 3. Marketing has a critical thinking problem ... and a possible solution www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/salesfo... #Marketing

The Brief: Salesforce Buys Fin, Google AI Opt-Out Trap, Marketing's Critical Thinking Gap — Greg Zakowicz

Salesforce acquires Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6 billion to beef up Agentforce, Google releases AI opt-out controls that SEOs should think twice about using, and a marketing professor argues the i...

gregzakowicz.com

In today's brief: 1. Shopify is making it easier for merchants to plug into agentic infrastructure 2. Visa & OpenAI are building payment rails 3. MarTech is asking what we're actually committing to www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/shopify... #Marketing #Ecommerce #AgenticCommerce

The Brief: Shopify Agentic Commerce Update, Visa OpenAI Partnership, Evaluating Agentic Investments — Greg Zakowicz

Shopify adds UCP support and expands Shop Pay in its Spring update, Visa and OpenAI build payment infrastructure for AI agent transactions, and a MarTech piece makes the case for asking harder questio...

gregzakowicz.com

Is the FAQ party over? Google thinks so. ☝️plus: 🟢 Is the B2B marketing playbook broken 🟢 Does an AI pilot = strategy? www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/google-... #Marketing #B2B #Google

The Brief: Google Drops FAQ Rich Results, B2B Trust Is Declining, AI Pilots vs. AI Value — Greg Zakowicz

Google deprecated FAQ rich results as of May 7, LinkedIn research shows B2B buyers are increasingly skeptical of traditional marketing, and Gartner's Nicole Greene argues marketers need to stop runnin...

gregzakowicz.com

Mastercard's CEO is asking questions about agentic commerce 🖕 and 3 more stories that caught my eye www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/grocery... #agenticcommerce #AI #retail #ecommerce

The Brief: Grocery AI at Kroger, Alexa Custom Merch, Ulta AI Results, Mastercard Agent Pay — Greg Zakowicz

Cooklist brings agentic AI shopping to Kroger and Wegmans, Amazon Alexa for Shopping adds custom merch design, Ulta Beauty posts mid-teen ecommerce growth driven by AI, and Mastercard's CEO warns the ...

gregzakowicz.com

NBC News@nbcnews.com · 2mo ago

Who could have seen this coming? Anyone? Anyone? Maybe we could get some effective leadership to work together to solve problems one of these decades.

BREAKING: Inflation jumps to 4.2%, the highest level since early 2023, keeping consumers under pressure as war with Iran keeps gas prices high.

AI Is already shopping. Are merchants ready? www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/ai-shop... #B2B #AgenticCommerce

AI Shopping Trust Gap, Google Pay Upgrades, DHL-USPS Deal, and Insider One Acquires Bluecore — Greg Zakowicz

73% of merchants aren't ready for agentic shopping, Google Pay expands its Universal Commerce Protocol, DHL and USPS sign a $10 billion last-mile deal, and Insider One acquires retail martech unicorn ...

gregzakowicz.com

We've seen recent stories of the potential impact of agentic systems buying something that then gets returned. This is a problem for retailers. Here is the other side of the coin: I want the agent to buy for me, but the sale gets declined. Now what? /

Agentic Commerce Raises False-Decline Risk in Payments

According to PYMNTS, the rise of agentic AI-software that searches, selects and can initiate purchases on behalf of consumers-is changing how payments are evaluated. PYMNTS reports that faster AI-led ...

letsdatascience.com

The Associated Press@apnews.com · 3mo ago

Another example of consumers not really caring about ethically sourced products. It makes good headlines but in reality, most people don’t care enough. #retail #ecommerce

Everlane, which bucked the fast-fashion industry by promising affordable ethically sourced and sustainable clothing, is being acquired by the king of fast-fashion Shein, founded in China.

Now THIS is a story!! Was it an in-water delivery? Did the shark pose as a customer and ambush the delivery person? So many questions. Happy Saturday everyone.

Are payment systems built for AI agents? This, and three more stories that grabbed my attention. www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/ai-paym... #Ecommerce #AgenticCommerce

AI Payment Risks, Alexa Replaces Rufus, B2B Metrics Shift, Starbucks Layoffs — Greg Zakowicz

AI agents create new chargeback risks, Amazon replaces Rufus with Alexa for Shopping, B2B marketing moves beyond website traffic as a success metric, and Starbucks announces another 300 layoffs.

gregzakowicz.com

Rufus may recommend your competitor if you’re not careful, and a few other stories. www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/target-...

Rufus Optimization, Target's $5B Store Push, LinkedIn B2B ROAS, and Agentic Commerce's Dispute Gap — Greg Zakowicz

Keyword-stuffing on Amazon is going the way of the Buffalo. Target commits $5B to 130+ store remodels and 30 new locations as physical retail shows real ROI. LinkedIn posts 121% ROAS, outperforming Go...

gregzakowicz.com

It’s like the Sabres don’t understand Montreal had speed. Weak within 3 feet of their blue line and no real urgency retrieving pucks and exiting the Montreal zone. This is why I wanted Tampa.

Today's brief, covering some agentic commerce stories: 1. Amazon expands Rufus 2. Agentic commerce threatens legacy brands 3. Loblaw’s ChatGPT grocery integration 4. B2B marketing budgets are growing, ROI is a challenge www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/rufus-a... #agenticcommerce #ecommerce #marketing

Amazon Rufus Auto-Buy, Agentic Commerce Threats, ChatGPT Grocery AI & B2B ROI Gaps — Greg Zakowicz

Amazon Rufus hits 250M users with price tracking and auto-buy, agentic AI reshapes CPG brand competition, Loblaw’s ChatGPT grocery tool exceeds expectations, and B2B marketers struggle with ROI measur...

gregzakowicz.com

A couple of interesting stories that caught my attention www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/marketi...

40K Store Closures, Livestream Commerce, and the AI ROI Problem — Greg Zakowicz

Interesting Retail, Marketing & AI News: Retailers face 40K+ store closures over 5 years, Whatnot integrates with Shopify for livestream commerce, marketers struggle to prove AI ROI, and Walmart doubl...

gregzakowicz.com

NBC News@nbcnews.com · 3mo ago

Phenomenal.

U.S. gas prices hit a new record since the start of the war with Iran, rising to an average nationwide of $4.23 per gallon, according to the motor club AAA. Read more: nbcnews.to/4cS59Vr

The Sabres have looked stuck in the mud without Ostlund in the lineup. Doesn’t help that Norris was out, but his speed and skill matters. Sabres should prob be down 3-2 instead of up 3-2. Go Sabres. #sabres

I've never been a believer in the mass drone delivery market, and have had this debate with friends a decent amount. Are you Yay or Nay on the future of drone delivery? foodinstitute.com/focus/drone-... #drones #retail #ecommerce #delivery

Drone Delivery Soars Despite Safety, Surveillance Concerns - The Food Institute

Drone delivery is expanding, but safety fears, crashes, and wartime associations are impacting consumer trust and adoption.

foodinstitute.com

NBC News@nbcnews.com · 5mo ago

This should trickle down just about any day now

How’s the economy? Not bad if you’re rich. What if you aren’t? The typical American can’t afford the median-priced home. A new car is out of reach for many, with the average monthly payment exceeding $700. More middle-class Americans are selling their plasma to make ends meet. nbcnews.to/4rPoufr

Google Doesn’t Just Want to Rank Your Website Anymore; It May Replace It www.gregzakowicz.com/blog/googles...

Google’s AI Landing Page Patent: What It Means for Ecommerce and Brand Control — Greg Zakowicz

Google’s latest patent suggests it may replace your website with AI-generated pages. Here’s what it means for ecommerce brands, SEO, and customer relationships.

gregzakowicz.com

Does this mean ChatGPT will look more like an affiliate site than a marketplace? Is it a hurdle, inevitable, temporary until user behavior adapts, or something else? the-decoder.com/chatgpt-user... #AI #agenticcommerce #Ecommerce #retail #agenticretail #ChatGPT #OpenAI

ChatGPT users research products but won't buy there, forcing OpenAI to rethink its commerce strategy

OpenAI wanted to turn ChatGPT into a shopping destination, but only about a dozen retailers signed up and users weren't buying. Now the company is handing off purchases to app partners like Instacart ...

the-decoder.com

Once every brand/product is discoverable through AI platforms, will it just be a hot mess of products to sift through ... kind of like what we have now? Questions I ponder: /

Kohl's is trying to stay relevant. I don't hate this, to be honest, although I don't think it'll be widely successful. www.retaildive.com/news/kohls-a... #retail #ecommerce

Kohl’s launches apparel brand geared toward teens and tweens

The private label, dubbed Sea and Skye, includes basics, fleece and graphic T-shirts, as well as dressier styles.

retaildive.com