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Why are you reading this?

In this newsletter, I summarize the top AI ecommerce and Amazon developments so you can stay up-to-date in just a few minutes. I do the reading so you don't have to. Consider this your weekly AI ecommerce update to save you time while keeping you informed on what matters most.

1. Off/Script Introduces App for Designing and Purchasing AI-Created Fashion

2. Amazon AI Special: Exclusive Interview With Kevin King

3. Google’s New Creative Way To Help You Find Products

4. Food For Thought: 85% Of Consumers Are Not Interested In AI-Driven Purchases

Off/Script Introduces App for Designing and Purchasing AI-Created Fashion

Off/Script, a new platform co-founded by Jonathan Brun and Justine Massicotte, has launched a mobile app revolutionizing the world of AI-designed fashion and products. This app enables users to create, share, and potentially monetize their design mock-ups, ranging from clothing and accessories to electronics and furniture. The most popular designs, determined by user votes and meeting a minimum of 100 votes, are taken from concept to reality by Off/Script, which handles funding, manufacturing, and shipping.

The platform's generative AI design studio, leveraging Stable Diffusion and ControlNet, allows both novice and expert designers to create product mock-ups, including 360-degree views. Users can start from scratch or modify pre-made templates. Off/Script collaborates with over 1,000 manufacturers to produce these designs, aiming to support local economies and creator earnings.

Creators earn 20% of sales and a $500 upfront fee, with the option to sell on their own sites. The app has already facilitated significant earnings for creators in its beta phase, featuring products from various designers, including AI artists. Despite some controversy surrounding AI art, Off/Script maintains a commitment to originality and creativity, implementing measures to tackle plagiarism. The company, having raised over $7 million in funding, offers its app exclusively on the App Store.

What does this mean for ecommerce sellers?

This is an interesting new marketplace spin-off. Regardless of whether Off/Script makes it or not, this model of democratization of design and manufacturing through AI will become more prevalent. Pair that with the endless opp for customization through AI and you will get an ecom space where the customer’s ideas for product dev will be far more prevalent as we move forward.

Amazon AI Special: Exclusive Interview With Kevin King

This week, I’m delighted to get Kevin King’s thoughts on the future of Amazon and how AI will shape both customer and seller experience going forward. Below is just an excerpt of the interview, check out the link at the bottom for the full goodness.

JL: How do you envisage AI will change customer experience on Amazon?

KK:I think it's going to change drastically sometime in the next few years. You'll start seeing slow movements towards it. We're already seeing that with the way Amazon is doing the review summaries and the way they've changed a few other things. 

I think the customer is going to be able to go to Amazon and instead of typing in a keyword and getting a list of results, they're going to type in a more of an experience : “I'm going to the beach in Florida In July, what do I need to take?”

Amazon's going to know either to ask additional questions or it's going to know from past history that you're a family of four, with two young kids, that one of you, sunburns easily because you've bought a bunch of sunscreen in the past and that the weather in July in that part of Florida that you're going to is this.They know that you've already got 3 beach blankets that you purchased in the past. So in this case Amazon  may prompt you and say “Do you need a new blanket?”

And so it's going to spit out a bunch of results based on this information, rather than you having to type in “beach ball”,  “beach furniture”, “Sunscreen” and go through this list of results.

Search is going to evolve based on what you're doing, and so that's going to change the way sellers optimize their listings. You are starting to see this with some of the semantic stuff that Amazon is doing now. I think they're going to be using AI to actually analyze your listings and so keyword stuffing and all of that stuff is going to go away. 

It's going to be important to have attributes and to have good quality pictures. Make sure your pictures are clear and not misunderstood, because I think they're going to be using AI to actually analyze your images. And if something in there doesn't quite look right and the AI can't recognize your product, it could completely miscategorize you.

The customer experience is going to dramatically improve, but it's not something that's going to happen overnight, rather it's going to be evolving. Amazon is not going to do anything that would jeopardize their advertising revenue, so until they figure out exactly how they're going to make sure they don't lose any advertising revenue, you're not going to see a lot of changes. 

But I think it's going to be drastically changing. And the whole gaming ship that we do now is going to go out the window.

Kevin currently runs one of the best newsletters for Amazon and Ecommerce sellers out there. It’s practically free money sent in your inbox every week. If you’ve not subscribed yet, HEAD HERE. 

To read the rest of the interview, click here.

Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) keeps getting upgrades. The latest one is aimed at simplifying gift searches.

In the U.S., users can explore various gift subcategories, like "great gifts for home cooks," and access shoppable options directly.

A notable upcoming feature allows users to create photorealistic images of desired apparel, such as a "colorful, patterned puffer jacket," and then locate similar products online. This function will roll out on mobile for U.S. SGE users in December.

Moreover, Google is expanding its virtual try-on tool to include men's clothing from several brands. This tool lets users visualize how shirts and sweaters look on models of diverse skin tones, body shapes, and sizes. Currently available on the Google app and mobile browsers in the U.S., it's expected to reach desktop platforms soon.

What does this mean for ecommerce sellers?

This follows nicely to the article about Off/Script. Customer empowerment through AI whether it’s to facilitate an ecom space where they can visualize their dreams and then buy them or ultimate customization to the point that the customer knows exactly how that piece of clothing will fit on their own body right at the point of purchase will be the next big behavioral shift.

Recent research by Storyblok highlights a significant gap between brand strategies and consumer preferences in online shopping. A survey of 1,000 consumers revealed that 85% are not interested in AI-driven purchase recommendations, with 60% stating AI suggestions don't influence their buying decisions. In contrast, 64% of senior marketers use AI for content creation, showing a disconnect between brand tactics and consumer interests.

Additionally, the influence of celebrities and influencers is waning, with 57% of consumers saying endorsements don't sway their purchase decisions. In contrast, 90% believe that brand-produced content significantly shapes their perception of brands and products, emphasizing the importance of trust and authentic content over pursuing the latest trends.

What does this mean for ecommerce sellers?

I think it reflects a world where the majority of consumers are still unclear/unsure about what AI is and to an extent, they are afraid/skeptical towards it. The reality is that AI has been part of the online shopping experience plethora well before ChatGPT and GenAI started making waves. With further adoption and normalization, this attitude would probably shift HOWEVER the need for brand and content authenticity will become ever more important (just look at the influencer piece).

• Action Time: Here are 3 AI-powered SERP Analyzers

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• Anthropic has upgraded its AI, Claude 2.1, with new features: it can now analyze much longer documents (up to about 150,000 words), gives more accurate answers with a 30% reduction in mistakes, and hallucinates half as often.

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🙄It sucked