Amazon is no longer what it used to be. Walmart is falling behind. Best Buy could become irrelevant… what’s going on? What seemed unthinkable just a few years ago is now a real possibility: artificial intelligence is dismantling the traditional online retail model. That’s right, something that once felt impossible is now closer than ever.

Homepages, digital storefronts, are dying. And in their place, shoppers are increasingly turning to AI assistants that tell them directly what to buy, where to buy it, and why.

The transformation has already begun. Beyond using artificial intelligence as a new way to search for information, it has become a hyper-personalized shopping advisor. You don’t need to visit Amazon if your AI assistant already knows what you need and redirects you to the best available product. This puts the e-commerce giants in check, they risk becoming invisible if they don’t adapt quickly. But… does this make us more passive? More controlled?

Not all is lost (yet). There are three paths that could save these brands: leading on price, dominating logistics, or becoming experts in content. This is the story of the new digital commerce era, and how to survive it.

What is the dismantling of retail?

For decades, the homepage was the gateway to online shopping. You typed amazon.com, searched for a product, compared, and bought. But that’s changed. Today, more and more users get recommendations directly from AI tools, without ever visiting a store’s website. The AI answers your needs directly, and often, it does it better than you can.

It’s almost like what happened to the media industry when social media took over. People stopped visiting newspaper homepages: each article became a separate entry point through Facebook, Twitter, or Google. The media had to reinvent itself or die, even if that process opened the door to the dreaded fake news era.

Surviving the change

There are three strategies big brands are currently pursuing, and of course, we’re going to tell you about them.

1. Strategy 1: Leading on price like Walmart: AI looks for the best deal. If the cheapest option wins, then Walmart might survive thanks to its massive scale. But it’s a tough road: it requires volume, low margins, and extreme efficiency. Not everyone can pull that off.
2. Strategy 2: Dominating logistics like Amazon: Consumers want speed. And Amazon has the most efficient distribution network on the planet. Even if its homepage loses relevance, its next-day delivery power might keep it on top.
3. Strategy 3 : This is the big opportunity for many brands. If you’re no longer going to Amazon to look for a coffee maker, but your AI assistant recommends the best one based on expert advice, then whoever creates trustworthy, useful content will have the upper hand. It’s no longer just about selling, it’s about guiding!

The future of e-commerce will be more personalized

Forget about a single entry point. In the new marketplace, every user will have a different experience. The site will adapt to your preferences. The products you see will be shaped by your habits. And the recommendations will come from creators or influencers who understand your lifestyle.

Specialized intelligence

Just as the media world saw the rise of independent journalists with strong authority in specific topics, in commerce we’ll see smaller brands gaining ground through expert knowledge. You don’t need to compete with Amazon. You just need to own your niche and become the go-to for that specific need.

Can they survive these changes?

Artificial intelligence is transforming everything, irreversibly. And now, the brands that once relied on their online storefronts will have to adapt or disappear. The consumer no longer searches, they ask. And AI answers with surgical precision. We are (literally) in the middle of a technological revolution!