The traditional e-commerce funnel is under pressure. Consumers are increasingly using AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to research products before ever visiting a marketplace. As a result, product discovery is shifting from search engines and platforms to AI-driven interfaces that compare, filter, and narrow down choices. By the time a user reaches Amazon or Bol.com, much of the decision has already been made.
In the Marketplace Growth Podcast by Channable, host Lucas Bassa speaks with Imco van Elk, Head of Marketplaces at Follo, about this shift. The episode focuses on how conversational and agentic commerce are fundamentally changing how products are discovered and selected, and what this means for visibility on marketplaces.
What can you expect from this episode?
- Conversational vs agentic commerce: What’s the difference and why this shift is so critical for the future of e-commerce.
- The impact of AI on product discovery: How AI is taking over the research phase and influencing decisions earlier in the journey.
- From keywords to context: Why optimization is shifting toward product data, attributes, and semantics.
- The role of visuals and feeds: How AI interprets product information and imagery, and what this means for your listings.
- The future of marketplaces: Why platforms remain dominant in transactions, but are losing ground in discovery.
Why listen?
Because the role of marketplaces is fundamentally changing, and AI is increasingly determining which products are seen and chosen. This episode gives you insight into how to stay visible in a world where much of the customer journey is already decided before someone visits a marketplace.
For brands, this means visibility is shifting to a new layer. It’s no longer just about being present on marketplaces, but about being understandable to AI systems that shape decisions beforehand. If you don’t adapt, you risk being excluded from the shortlist before the customer even reaches the platform.
Listen to the episode of the Marketplace Growth Podcast and discover how to prepare your marketplace strategy for AI-driven commerce.
