Shopping is changing. What used to begin with a search query on Google or a visit to a favorite retailer’s website now often starts with an AI agent, whether it’s a chat-based assistant, a recommendation engine, or an intelligent aggregator. As brands scramble to keep up with this shift, the question on every marketer’s mind is simple: Is your next best customer actually an AI bot?
Last November, Scrunch AI CEO Chris Andrew joined Mike Linton on the CMO Confidential podcast for an episode titled “Is Your New Best Customer an AI Bot?” Back then, AI-driven shopping felt futuristic. Today, it’s foundational:
These developments underscore a simple truth: AI isn’t just curating your products, it’s deciding which of them get seen. If you don’t optimize for AI agents, your offerings may never reach human eyes.
Most of us wouldn’t trust a bot to physically buy our next pair of shoes, but we already rely on AI to handle discovery, filtering, and comparison. From personalized recommendations on e-commerce giants to price-tracking extensions, bots are our unseen shopping companions. As that dynamic scales, brands must recognize that:
1. Monitor and allow AI crawlers
2. Track AI-driven referrals
3. Structure content for retrieval
As native commerce layers roll out across AI platforms, early movers will reap outsized visibility. At Scrunch AI, we’re helping brands adapt their SEO and content strategies for this new era, so that when a bot asks, “What should I show my shopper next?” your products top the list.
The era of AI-led shopping is here. Your best customer might still be a person, but their journey increasingly begins with a bot. Are you ready to open your front door?