AgenticCMO: Weekly Links for November 4th
The Signal: When AI Becomes Your Shopping Companion
I've been thinking a lot about how we're all still figuring out this AI thing in marketing, and then I came across this research from IAB that really crystallized something important: AI isn't just changing how we market—it's fundamentally reshaping the consumer journey itself.
Here's what caught my attention: consumers are increasingly turning to AI chatbots and assistants during their shopping journey, not just for post-purchase support. They're asking ChatGPT what gift to buy their niece. They're using Perplexity to compare product features. They're treating AI as a trusted shopping companion.
This matters because it means our carefully crafted customer journey maps might be missing a crucial player—one that sits between our brand messaging and the consumer's decision.
The Control We're Losing (And That's Okay)
As marketers, we're used to controlling the narrative. We A/B test our landing pages, optimize our email sequences, and perfect our product descriptions. But when a consumer asks an AI assistant "What's the best running shoe for someone with flat feet under $150?", we're not in that conversation. The AI is synthesizing information from reviews, specifications, Reddit threads, and yes, our marketing content—but we're not steering that synthesis.
My learning here? We need to shift from "controlling the message" to "being the best possible source when AI goes looking for information." That means thinking about structured data, clear product information, authentic reviews, and actually being helpful rather than just persuasive.
The Attribution Nightmare (And Opportunity)
The IAB research highlights something we're all grappling with: how do you attribute a sale when AI was the last touchpoint before purchase? If someone asks Claude or ChatGPT for recommendations and then clicks through to buy, where does that show up in our analytics?
Right now, it probably shows up as direct traffic or maybe a referral you don't recognize. We're flying blind on what might be a significant and growing channel.
But here's the opportunity: brands that figure out how to be recommended by AI—through excellent products, clear information, strong reviews, and genuine value—will win regardless of whether we can track it perfectly. Maybe this forces us to focus on what actually matters: being worth recommending.
What This Means For Your Strategy
First, audit your product information everywhere. Is it accurate, complete, and genuinely helpful? AI assistants are pulling from multiple sources—your website, review sites, social media, third-party retailers. Inconsistencies or gaps will hurt you.
Second, think about the questions consumers ask AI, not just the keywords they search. These are often different. People ask AI conversational questions they'd never type into Google.
Third, invest in genuine customer satisfaction. When AI looks for social proof, it's finding real customer experiences. You can't fake your way through this.
The shift to AI-guided shopping isn't coming—it's here. And honestly? I find it exciting. It rewards brands that are genuinely good and genuinely helpful. The ones that survive will be those that deserve to.
