Issue AI embedding strengthens marketplaces and deepens the brands' scale-versus-data tension

Summary

McKinsey argues that the tech-driven path to purchase will shift the balance of power in the consumer sector. Large digital marketplaces and omnichannel retailers are rapidly building AI into their platforms, which strengthens their role as the place where consumers discover, research, and buy products. For brands, this deepens a tension that already existed. Big retail platforms and marketplaces deliver reach and high conversion, but they also limit brands' direct access to consumer data and relationships. As AI use grows, the report says, brands will need to be more deliberate about where they choose to participate and where they try to keep control.