Retail’s getting conversational.
As e-commerce makes an evolutionary leap to conversational commerce, there’s some serious déjà vu.
In 2017:
🛍️ Walmart and Amazon raced to omnichannel from opposite ends of the retail spectrum:
🔹 Walmart was the leader in stores and investing in e-commerce (recently acquired Jet.com)
🔸 Amazon was the e-commerce leader and investing in stores (recently acquired Whole Foods)
In 2025:
🛍️ Amazon and OpenAI are racing to conversational commerce from opposite ends of the retail tech spectrum
🔸 Amazon’s still the e-commerce leader and now it’s investing in AI
▪️ OpenAI is the AI leader and now it’s investing in e-commerce
TODAY:
AWS and OpenAI announced a multi-year strategic partnership, further entwining retail and AI giants who are leaders in conversational commerce.
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👁️🗨️ What’s conversational commerce?
Conversational commerce is real-time conversations between customers and retailers or brands, which take place on messaging apps, chatbots and voice assistants (like WhatsApp, ChatGPT and Alexa).
E.g.:
🥗 “What side dish should I make for Thanksgiving?”
👕 “I need a blue men’s shirt that will arrive before Christmas.”
💋 “I have a cool winter complexion; which lipstick should I get?”
Beyond product discovery, conversational commerce is evolving to be increasingly shoppable with direct links to product pages and instant checkout for an efficient, personalized customer experience.
No wonder Shopify President Harley Finkelstein recently declared, “Conversations are the next storefront.”
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What’s the rush?
🎁 Consumers want shoppable, personalized retail solutions – and that’s what conversational commerce delivers.
See recent stats that show why the fusion of e-commerce and AI is so tantalizing for retailers, brands and consumers – especially as the 2025 holiday sales season is in full swing.
What do you think of retail’s exciting leap to conversational commerce?
Related:
OpenAI’s Retail Collaborations
Retail & Tech Giants Align (2025)
AI Permeates Retail Categories
AI Permeates Retail Processes
AI Permeates Global Retail