AI is no longer a distant concept or a side experiment. It’s the dominant force shaping strategic agendas across boardrooms – and it’s moving faster than most are prepared for.

From sitting on multiple boards across B2B sectors – tech, consulting, manufacturing, and services – one pattern is crystal clear: AI is not just a hot topic, it’s the topic. And while many are dabbling, few are truly focused on the seismic shifts underway.

Take this recent development that’s causing serious buzz: OpenAI is reportedly building a native Shopify checkout directly inside ChatGPT. No external links. No browsing. Just chat → compare → checkout — all without leaving the conversation.

If this rolls out broadly, it could upend how brands engage with customers:

🔹 Search and commerce collapse into a single user experience layer.
🔹 Product pages? Optional.
🔹 SEO as we know it? Rewritten.

In short: the storefront is becoming the conversation itself.

It’s reminiscent of the early days of TikTok Shop – but potentially much bigger. Instead of discovering products on a social feed, we’re heading toward direct, intelligent AI-native discovery within a conversation. This isn’t just innovation – it’s a redefinition of digital interaction.

What This Means for Agencies

For marketing agencies, especially those serving eCommerce or B2B brands, the implications are huge:

  • AI-native UX will require entirely new thinking around customer journeys.
  • Conversion strategy will shift from page optimisation to prompt optimisation.
  • Search strategy will need to account for LLM-native content delivery, not just Google SERPs.

And here’s the kicker: This is already in motion. The pace of AI development is staggering — and accelerating. If your agency (or your clients) don’t have a strategy in place to adapt, the risk isn’t just falling behind. It’s becoming irrelevant.

Time to Refocus

Whether you’re experimenting with GPT-driven workflows or just starting to explore automation, it’s time to go deeper. The next 6–12 months will reward those who are proactive – not reactive.

Need help rethinking your strategy for the AI-native landscape? Let’s talk. We’re working with agencies now to future-proof their go-to-market approach, overhaul content and conversion strategies, and build AI-aligned growth plans.

The future isn’t coming – it’s already here. Are you ready for it?