🎙️Interview With Lauren Livak Gilbert of Digital Shelf Institute

DESCRIPTION

Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management.

Today, we're excited to welcome back a returning guest and friend of the pod: Lauren Livak Gilbert, Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute and co-host of the Unpacking the Digital Shelf podcast.

Lauren joins us to share insights from a recent report DSI co-authored with Azoma, titled "How to Prepare Your PDP for the Agentic Commerce Era". The report digs into why SEO strategies alone aren't enough for the next generation of commerce, how retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target are approaching agentic commerce, and what you can do today to stay visible.

Tune in to find out more!

📚 RESOURCES

How to Prepare Your PDP for the Agentic Commerce Era

Quote:

We know that the behavior is changing. So get your content ready to be machine-readable, focus on your brand.com, and really hone in on making sure that your brand is super clear.

Lauren Livak Gilbert

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Lauren discuss:

Definition of "Agentic Commerce" and its implications for autonomous shopping and discovery
Current consumer behaviors and the pragmatic pace of AI adoption in shopping
Importance of foundational ecommerce practices: being "brilliant at the basics" still applies in the AI era
Overview of Amazon's AI ecosystem (Cosmo & Rufus) and how they influence discovery and product recommendations
Tactics for AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), including Q&A content, natural language, and alt text for images
Distinctions in how Walmart and Target approach AI shopping compared to Amazon, including their partnerships with tech companies like OpenAI and Google
Actionable steps for optimizing PDPs on Walmart and Target, such as clear titles, correct taxonomy, and answering key consumer questions
The evolving role of organizational structure and content management in preparing for AI-driven commerce
Data management as a prerequisite for AI success, and why brands should focus on getting the basics right before diving into advanced AI strategies
Reassurance to brands not to panic and to adopt a test-and-learn approach as the agentic commerce landscape evolves