In a recent episode of the Live E-commerce Podcast, host Nicolas interviewed Morgan Chemij, who oversees global marketplace strategy at HP. Their conversation covered several fascinating trends shaping the future of retail, social commerce, AI and ecommerce:
The Evolution of Retail Media
Retail media has exploded in recent years, with many retailers launching their own advertising platforms. Chemij notes this presents both opportunities and challenges for brands:
“You take a look at the genesis of retail media during COVID, you had all of these different retail establishments that were effectively losing foot traffic, traffic was moving online, they weren’t necessarily hitting their number. And so they were trying to figure out how can we drum up more revenue for the business?”
While this creates more options for advertising, it also stretches marketing budgets thin. However, Chemij believes retail media is well-positioned for continued growth, especially as platforms evolve to offer richer capabilities like video and social features.
The Convergence of Social Media and Ecommerce: Social Commerce & AI
A major trend, especially in Asia, is the blending of social media and e-commerce:
“What you really have is TikTok had this best in class social media capability. They purchased, you know, the controlling share of a pretty significant marketplace in Indonesia. And so they really kind of wrapped social and marketplace capacity together to create this really best in class experience and control more and more of the market.”
While this trend is less pronounced in the US currently, Chemij expects it to grow as platforms like Instagram and TikTok expand their commerce capabilities.
The Rise of AI in Retail
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming retail at every stage of the customer journey:
“You’ve got AI at the beginning with generating awareness, then you go and you search for something. Google’s deployed all sorts of great AI to kind of help you steer your way. Then you get down to a platform and Amazon has all this great technology around generating ads and AI generated ads.”
Chemij highlighted AI’s potential for creating personalized ads, localizing content for global audiences, and optimizing creative assets. He notes the incredibly fast adoption of AI tools like ChatGPT as evidence of their transformative potential.
The Future of Connected TV Advertising
With the growth of streaming platforms, there are new opportunities for highly targeted TV advertising:
“I’m going to be able to get some really ultra personalized ads. Maybe where the creative will change dynamically according to who is watching.”
While this offers exciting possibilities, Chemij cautions that truly inspirational ads still require significant creative effort that may be challenging to fully automate.
Looking Ahead
Chemij is particularly excited about the continued growth of the on-demand economy:
“This kind of on demand ecosystem that we live in now, I think, is really incredible. And I’m excited about, you know, the innovations that are going to continue to happen in the space.”
From same-day delivery to in-home services, he sees huge potential for technology to make our lives more convenient and productive.
As retail continues to evolve at a rapid pace, brands and marketers will need to stay on top of these trends to effectively reach and engage consumers. By embracing new technologies and platforms while still focusing on creating compelling experiences, companies can position themselves for success in this dynamic landscape.
Nicolas Bailliache is the Co-Founder of eStreamly, a video shopping SaaS helping brands turn content into sales through live shopping and shoppable video. With a decade of global business development experience and the ability to do business in four languages, he brings an international perspective to everything he builds — and an infectious curiosity that keeps him one step ahead of what’s next.
Find me over on LinkedIn where I write about AI, Video Commerce, Live Shopping and Shoppable videos.