Trend Trend 5: discovery, comparison, and checkout collapse into one AI interface

Summary

The fifth trend in CB Insights' outlook is that the online storefront is disappearing. AI assistants fold product discovery, comparison and checkout into one interface, so shoppers no longer need to move through a brand's own website. Generative AI platforms are becoming the new starting point for shopping searches and are drawing traffic away from retail sites. Brands are responding by optimising for AI answers and by restructuring product data so that agents can read it. Major retailers are also partnering with AI companies to let customers buy directly inside chatbots. The shift moves the point of purchase decision from the branded store to the AI layer.