{
  "id": 11827272,
  "title": "How do you sell to an AI shopper? US brands rethink their pitch with logic and data",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/how-do-you-sell-to-an-ai-shopper-us-brands-rethink-their-pitch-with",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-04T02:23:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Business Times - Companies & Markets",
    "slug": "the-business-times-companies-markets",
    "url": "https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/telcos-media-tech/how-do-you-sell-ai-shopper-us-brands-rethink-their-pitch-logic-and-data"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As artificial intelligence agents become more prevalent in online shopping, US brands are rethinking their marketing strategies to cater to these digital shoppers. By 2030, up to 20% of total e-commerce spend in the US could be influenced by AI agents, potentially reaching $385 billion, according to Morgan Stanley research. Companies like Meta and OpenAI are developing AI agents that help users shop online, leading to a new category of startups aiming to assist brands in adapting to this shift.\n\nUnlike traditional advertising, which targets humans based on emotions and dopamine, AI agents respond to logic and data. Aviv Shamny, co-founder and CEO of Limy, a startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz, explains that when advertising to agents, the focus should be on mathematical logic. Currently, many websites block bots, including some large online retailers like Amazon. However, as AI agents gain popularity, more retailers are seeking ways to cater to them. For instance, Adobe reported a 393% increase in traffic to US retail sites from AI sources in 2026.\n\nExperts predict that by 2030, AI agents will be responsible for up to 20% of total US e-commerce spend, or $385 billion. To stay competitive, brands must ensure their products are easily readable and understandable by AI agents. Tyler Ackerman, CEO of the RTA Store, an online cabinetry retailer, invested in AI visibility for his company after noticing a decline in his products' visibility in large language model recommendations. To address this, Ackerman's company paid $15,000 to New Generation, a startup that transforms companies' product catalogues into structured data and generative interfaces that AI can understand.\n\nNew Generation's approach involves making changes to the website's code, adding AI widgets to handle product inquiries from both humans and bots, and creating extensive product-specific content. This content is crucial, as AI agents prefer factual, straightforward information with statistical details. In practice, this means producing more product descriptions, blog posts, and social media activity. Websites should also be designed to be easily navigable by AI agents, with tools like New Generation's providing a score from 1 to 100 based on the website's \"readiness for interacting with agents.\"\n\nSome strategies require advanced technical knowledge. Limy focuses on how AI systems represent language as a series of numbers called vectors. By mapping prompts like \"best running shoes for a marathon\" to numerical representations, Limy helps identify the vector spaces agents are interested in and determine which prompts result in the most purchases. Toby Coulthard, founder of Jacquard, an AI marketing platform, notes that these recommendations may only be accurate for a limited time, requiring companies to adapt to fundamental marketing principles continuously.\n\nIndustry analyst Akshat Trivedi from FTI Consulting draws parallels between this trend and the transition to mobile commerce and the search engine optimization boom. Early adopters gained significant advantages, but as more companies catch up, the market becomes more level. Now, the speed at which companies adapt to this new marketing paradigm is crucial. First-movers may gain substantial benefits, but maintaining a competitive edge will require continuous effort.",
  "summary": "By 2030, ‘agent-influenced spend’ may constitute up to 20% of total US e-commerce",
  "key_points": [
    "By 2030, AI agents could influence up to 20% of US e-commerce spend, totaling $385 billion.",
    "AI agents respond to mathematical logic and data, not human emotions or dopamine."
  ],
  "editors_take": "US brands are rethinking their marketing strategies to cater to AI shoppers, shifting from emotional appeals to logic and data, as AI agents increasingly influence e-commerce spending.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}