Podcast Summary

Podcast: Limited Supply
Host: Nik Sharma
Episode: S14 E5: "How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Ecom Marketing (with Liam Millward, Co-Founder and CEO of Instant)"
Date: October 29, 2025

Overview

In this episode of Limited Supply, host Nik Sharma sits down with Liam Millward, Co-Founder and CEO of Instant, to dive deep into the transformative role of AI in e-commerce marketing. The conversation is a candid, tactical exploration of how artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic luxury but a present-day necessity for direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands to compete and thrive. Nik and Liam dissect AI-driven personalization, retention, email marketing innovation, and the cultural shifts required for leaders and teams to adapt to this new landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI in E-Commerce: Beyond Hype, Into Operations

• AI as a Tool, Not a Product: Nik underscores that AI isn’t a standalone product—it's a foundational toolset that reconfigures operational possibilities for brands.
• Adoption is Essential: Liam stresses the urgency for adoption:
  • "If AI isn’t driving at least 25% of your revenue today, you’re already failing." (02:04)
• Danger of AI Illiteracy: Brands hesitating or simply relying on ChatGPT are falling behind those integrating AI across functions.
  • "If you’re not adopting it in your business now, you’re already behind." (02:06)

2. Instant’s Journey: From Checkout to AI Retention Powerhouse

• Evolution of Instant: Initially a Shop Pay competitor, Instant pivoted, using its tech to identify and remember anonymous site visitors, thus powering advanced retention email flows.
• Unlocking the Anonymous Majority:
  • "98% of people that visit your website—you have absolutely no idea who they are." (03:37)
• AI-Generated Email Marketing: Instant’s AI crafts unique, on-brand emails for each shopper, referencing individual behavior, products viewed, and dynamic on-site changes.

3. Why Existing Email Marketing is Broken

• Manual Bottlenecks: Most brands have minimal staff dedicated to email, leading to generic, outdated, low-performing campaigns.
• Limits of Agencies: Agencies tend to churn out volume rather than optimize for personalization or test new variables.
• One-to-One Personalization at Scale: AI enables what was previously impossible: unique, behavior-based communications for every visitor, not just standard flows.

4. Real-World Results & Specific Use Cases

• Significant Performance Lifts:
  • Examples: ThirdLove, Liquid IV, NeuroGum, and Karen Kane have all reported 3x–5x email revenue increases after implementing Instant AI.
  • "Some like Karen Kane even see a 5x increase." (18:06)
• Smart Coupons: AI now customizes offer value and timing per user, protecting margin and optimizing conversion—not just blanket discounts.
• Send-Time Optimization: Reminders are now sent when individual shoppers are most likely to convert, not after a fixed period.
  • "Today you should be sending emails based on when that particular shopper is most likely to convert." (11:55)
• Continuous Micro-Optimization: Beyond A/B testing, AI runs infinite experiments, updating subject lines, offers, and creative in real time—something humans and agencies simply cannot do at scale.

5. AI as a Strategic Differentiator—Not a Job Killer

• Not Replacing, But Enhancing Teams:
  • “It’s never been possible before, and it still isn’t possible for an agency or a marketing manager to sit there and send a unique email to every shopper.” (07:07)
• AI Drives Revenue, Not Just Saves Time: Real value comes from topline growth, not just cost cuts or time savings.

6. Leadership Challenges & What’s Next

• Senior Leadership Resistance:
  • Often it’s senior decision makers stalling AI integration out of fear or lack of understanding.
  • “It’s always the senior leader in the company that is pushing back because maybe they’re scared of it, they don’t understand it.” (19:39)
• Cultural Shift Required: AI competency (or even basic literacy) is rapidly becoming non-negotiable for team members and leaders.
• Wave of AI Literacy: Expect a shift similar to the DTC education wave a few years ago—boards and executives will demand AI plans from their teams.
  • “What the fuck do you mean you don’t use AI?” (20:56, Nik as Boardroom Chair)

7. The Next Wave: Personalization, Data Compliance, and Funnel Integration

• Deeper Personalization Coming Soon: The next generation goes beyond names and product—AI will harness richer behavioral data.
• Importance of Brand-Owned Data:
  • Liam: “That needs to stay with the brand... Otherwise it becomes super creepy.” (28:47)
  • Effective personalization avoids the “creepiness” of generic, mistimed, or poorly-targeted messages.
• AI Running the Entire Funnel:
  • From optimizing pop-up timing to crafting individualized emails using smart coupons and send-time optimization, AI should underpin every touchpoint.
  • “If you look at it as a funnel, you can see, all right, we’re increasing identification, we’re able to send more emails, let’s send that email at the right time, and by sending that email in a very unique way, you significantly increase results.” (32:00)

8. Actionable Advice for Brands and CMOs

• Leverage AI for All Routine Marketing Tasks:
  • “AI should be your experimentation agent today. There should not be a single person in your business that is doing one to one A/B tests.” (24:34)
• Retain Creative Oversight, Automate the Repetition:
  • Human creativity best serves brand direction and campaign ideation, while AI executes and optimizes the grind.

9. Experimentation Mindset is Everything

• Winners Move Fast:
  • “They get rid of things just as quickly as they bring them in. But that’s fine because they’re experimenting consistently to grow their revenue. That’s why they win.” (26:19)
• Paralysis by Waiting is Costly: Those who wait for a “perfect” tool will be left in the dust.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nik Sharma on the DTC Boardroom Shift:
  • “What the fuck do you mean you don’t use AI?” (20:56)
• Liam Millward on AI Urgency:
  • “If you’re not adopting it in your business now, you’re already behind.” (02:06)
  • “If AI isn’t driving at least 25% of your revenue today … you’re already failing.” (02:09)
• On AI and Job Fears:
  • “It’s never been possible before, and it still isn’t possible for an agency or a marketing manager to sit there and send a unique email to every shopper.” (07:07)
• On Resistance from Leadership:
  • “The leaders of these businesses are actually holding the business back.” (19:54)
• On AI as a Revenue Driver:
  • “Moving the needle in my mind is driving revenue and driving profitability, not saving time in the warehouse.” (35:24)
• On Experimentation:
  • “They are so obsessed with experimentation…that’s why they win.” (26:22)
• On AI in Hiring:
  • “If you’re not using AI today, I mean, you’re behind no matter where you are.” (33:56)

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|-------------| | AI’s necessity for DTC brands | 02:04–02:43 | | Origin and evolution of Instant | 03:18–04:56 | | What’s broken in email marketing | 06:10–07:05 | | Smart coupons & send-time optimization | 10:33–12:24 | | Real-world revenue impact testimonials | 15:07–15:27, 18:06| | Micro-optimization: beyond manual A/B testing | 16:36–17:27 | | Culture shift, leadership pushback | 19:34–20:43 | | AI-driven funnel: popups to email | 31:32–32:15 | | Experimentation mindset | 26:11–26:35 | | Next-level personalization and data strategy | 28:13–30:14 |

Conclusion & Takeaways

This episode is a wake-up call for brands trapped in email and retention marketing inertia. Nik and Liam systematically break down how AI is not just another SaaS feature, but an existential requirement for modern DTC marketers. The winners are moving fast, automating the routine, relentlessly experimenting, and using AI-driven personalization to drive measurable revenue impact—now, not in the future.

Final advice:

• Adopt, experiment, and iterate with AI now—waiting is the only thing riskier than moving too quickly.
• Focus your human capital where it matters: creativity and strategic direction. Let AI handle the tests, the timing, the segmentation, and the optimization.

This summary captures the episode’s core lessons, tone, and tactical edge. For marketers feeling the pressure or just starting on their AI journey, it’s required listening—and a powerful nudge to get off autopilot.