Phillip Jackson’s media company, Future Commerce, focuses on business trends and developments.
The company surveyed US shoppers during the 2025 holiday season. It says one finding stood out: when AI recommends a product, 77% of respondents leave the platform to buy on the brand’s website.
Phillip first appeared on the podcast in early 2024. In this our latest conversation, he covered the dark side of optimized ecommerce sites, a look at traditional search, and yes, the rise of autonomous buying agents.
The full audio of our interview is embedded below. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Eric Bandholz: Keep us up to date.
Philip Jackson: Future Commerce is a media company that explores the culture of commerce through newsletters, podcasts, research and events.
The last time we spoke, I remember thinking, “I’m made for this.” It felt like everything I had learned throughout my career was in one place.
E-commerce was tough when I started in 1999. I spent over a decade working for a direct-to-consumer, natural health products retailer. We hand-coded pages in HTML, ran Google AdWords, and scaled various brands.
Bandholz: Will it be better in 2026?
Jackson: Since about 2019, I have been saying that we have reached the ideal site. We’ve optimized the e-commerce experience to death, and what’s left is efficiency and boredom.
At Future Commerce, we do a lot of consumer and executive research. In one study published around 2022, we analyzed about 15 e-commerce sites with the highest traffic in the world, excluding Amazon. Think brands like Bath & Body Works and Bed Bath & Beyond. We removed the logos and navigation and then showed the site to consumers. Most people couldn’t tell one site from the other because they are functionally identical.
This level of optimization is powerful, but it also has a downside: it’s forgettable. These pages are designed for conversion, not for elicitation or cultural impact. They are slippery. You buy, you leave and nothing sticks.
You see it everywhere in culture. Netflix is a great example. It’s incredible how they use the data to maximize completion rates, which is why they release entire seasons at once. The data probably proves it works. But it doesn’t show what is lost: the cultural conversation. Shows aired for many weeks remain part of the culture for a long time.
The same thing happened in e-commerce and product design. Websites, sport utility vehicles, smartphones and even electric toothbrushes are converging into the same form.
Many in the industry hope that AI will make e-commerce exciting again, but true innovation requires a risk that few companies are willing to take.
Bandholz: Will marketplaces and artificial intelligence replace brand websites?
Jackson: There is a lot to this question and we actually have data around it. From a practical point of view, the website leads nowhere. Advertisers can change platforms, and AI-driven discovery is clearly changing behavior, especially among Gen Z. AI-powered generative sites have become a trusted source for product and brand discovery.
We examined consumer use of AI before and after the holidays in 2025. One insight stood out. When AI recommends a product, shoppers usually prefer to leave the platform and visit the brand’s website. Across two studies, two cohorts and multiple English-speaking countries, 77% said they would rather click through to a website than shop in an AI interface.
This challenges the narrative that AI agents will handle all purchases. I’m optimistic about agents in the long term, but the web remains the hub of context, trust and information for generative engines.
Interestingly, AI can impact physical retail faster than digital. According to our data, 35% of Gen Z and 40% of Gen X said they would rather buy based on AI recommendations than go to a store.
More generally, old and new systems always coexist. Markets will not disappear; are developing. Brands that survive will have durable products, a clear identity and strong relationships. They will almost certainly have a website. Everything else is still up for debate.
Bandholz: Will genAI replace traditional search?
Jackson: We are seeing signs of this shift. However, there are economic questions to be answered. Which companies are winning the AI race? Which consumer products are becoming dominant?
Yes, AI is disruptive, but it also introduces a new modality to our relationship with digital culture. It’s not just a search box. It’s a different kind of interaction. I see it as complementary rather than exclusive. Traditional systems will not disappear overnight; they adapt and coexist. AI is changing behavior, but it’s layering on top of existing habits rather than erasing them.
Bandholz: What advice would you give to people starting out in e-commerce?
Jackson: A certain level of investment in genAI visibility is non-negotiable. Consumers are increasingly turning to engines like ChatGPT to recommend products. If you’re not watching to see if your brand is showing up there, you should be. It may be the closest thing we have to a true organic discovery.
In addition, many newer providers do not deliver on their promised outages. TikTok Shop, for example, is essentially an affiliate channel. It’s powerful, but it won’t fundamentally change the way everyone shops.
Bandholz: What major macro trends are you following?
Jackson: The first is machine autonomy. Every business, from the smallest startup to the largest enterprise, is pushing for more automation and productivity. You see it in self-driving vehicles, delivery robots, and last-mile automation. You also see it in companies, with systems that work without human intervention. This shift is happening fast.
The second force is human sovereignty, fueled by distrust of institutions. The Edelman Trust Barometer at the start of 2026 is at a 25-year low. People don’t trust governments, corporations or systems as much as they used to. At the same time, they now have the tools to verify claims, build their own worldview, and take control of decisions.
An example is healthcare. Individuals can now monitor their own health and interpret the data in a way that was not possible five years ago.
These two forces – autonomy and sovereignty – can complement each other, but they can also conflict. Brands that understand how to navigate both, at any scale, will define the next era of commerce.
Bandholz: How can listeners follow and reach you?
Jackson: Our site is FutureCommerce.com. We are on X, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. I’m also on LinkedIn.