In this 'Snips' episode, I’m adding commentary to clips of one of my favorite ecommerce podcasts: Cocktails & Commerce with Brian Walker and Bill Friend. These two industry veterans bring on some of the sharpest minds in digital commerce, and in this snippet, they’re joined by John Andrews, co-founder and CEO of Cimulate, a generative AI company focused on commerce platforms.

If you’ve been seeing the term 'CommerceGPT' floating around and wondering what it actually means (like I was), this is the perfect primer. John breaks down the idea behind CommerceGPTs: what they are, how they might transform the way brands connect with customers, and why they could soon become the “brains” behind future retail experiences. We also hear fascinating insights into the rise of “answer engines” like ChatGPT and Perplexity, how they’ll change product discoverability, and what brands can do right now to stay visible in this new era of AI-driven commerce.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[01:00 ] – John Andrews explains the concept of a CommerceGPT and how it represents a new layer in the commerce technology stack.
[02:15 ] – What it means for a model to truly “understand” customer behavior and use that knowledge to enhance shopping experiences.
[03:00 ] – Imagining a focused AI model that knows everything about a product category or retailer (and uses it to drive smarter engagement).
[05:00 ] – The rise of answer engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity, and what that means for product discoverability.
[06:15 ] – How brands can position themselves to be seen by these AI systems, and why visibility will require new kinds of data accessibility.
[08:05 ] – The future of “agent-to-agent commerce” — where AIs talk directly to each other to fulfill transactions.
[09:30 ] – Brian Walker’s perspective on consumer trust, behavioral change, and how long it may take for AI-powered commerce to go mainstream.
[11:15 ] – My takeaway: perfection isn’t the goal. Brands that experiment now will be best positioned for what’s next.

Links & Resources

• Listen to John Andrew's full Cocktails & Commerce episode
• For more info about CommerceGPTs check out Brian Walker's essay Surf’s Up! The Next Wave of Commerce is Here - Amplified and Shaped by AI
• Subscribe to the Cocktails & Commerce podcast on Spotify
• Subscribe to the Cocktails & Commerce newsletter on Substack
• Read my article While We Debate What's 'Really' Agentic, Retail Media's Foundation Is Already Shifting
• Read my article Meet The First Retail Media Federations & Consortiums
• Follow John Andrews, CEO and Co-Founder of Cimulate on LinkedIn
• Follow Brian Walker from Cocktails & Commerce on LinkedIn
• Follow Bill Friend from Cocktails & Commerce on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri on LinkedIn