Hello Forecasters,
Welcome back to the Inflection Point.
This week, we're diving into the world of shopping tech.
TLDR;
- TikTok and I.G are eating at Google's core product.
- Gen Z is using Pinterest collages for their back-to-school shopping; Nike is on board.
- AI-enabled shopping assistants are on the rise — Daydream raised a $50M seed round, while Remark raised $10M with investor support from Stripe.
Social Search is growing.
According to Google, “40% of young users turn to TikTok and I.G when searching for lunch.”
The reason?
Personalized recommendations.
Google is designed to serve brands, not users.
It prioritizes structured data, SEO optimization, and ads to connect brands with customers.
On the other hand, TikTok is built for people.
Its algorithms create a non-curated online space—offering personalized content based on likes, shares, and watches.
Their search results are less about which brand paid for a top spot and more about what other users find engaging or relevant.
Interest-based recommendations allow users to discover new trends, products, and ideas organically through shared connections – giving TikTok the perception of being more authentic.
Brands are investing less in SEO and paid ads and more in:
- paid partnerships
- user-generated content
- community engagement
- data-driven personalization
Pinterest is supporting the inspiration to action pipeline.
According to Sarah Pollock, the Global Head of Consumer Marketing at Pinterest:
- 63% of Gen Z users are shopping on the platform.
- 1 out of 3 influenced their back-to-school outfits with the shop-the-look and collage features.
- Gen Z are pinning collages at 3X the rate of regular pins.
Wherever fashionistas go in droves, brands will follow.
Since young users turn to Pinterest for shopping inspo rather than Google, the company is well-positioned to leverage its data. Earlier trend prediction capabilities and tools that close the gap between discovery and purchase are attracting big-name partnerships.
Nike, PacSun, and Urban Outfitters, to name a few.
Pinterest has another leverage: it's a “negative free zone.”
While you can comment on pins, there isn’t the same amount of negative discourse or peer lifestyle comparisons that tend to fuel youth depression and anxiety.
According to Pinterest, “It’s a negative-free zone, a sharing platform that encourages people to explore freely and confidently.”
So where is this all going?
Ok, you find a cute top on a Pinterest collage, but you want it in blue.
Does the brand sell that color?
You click the link.
It doesn’t.
Also, the top is $250.
You want the top in blue and for cheaper.
This is what Daydream was built for.
But it's entering a crowded space.
It'll take Daydream's $50M seed round and all-star team to set it apart from:
- Google Lens's multisearch.
- Master Card's ‘Shopping Muse.’
- TikTok's newly launched Image Search feature.
- Amazon's AI Shopping Assistant, Rufus (which has mixed reviews).
And then there are the new brands:
- Deft uses text-to-image AI to help users visualize their dream home and then find real-life furniture brands to match.
- Chrry is focusing on screenshots to help users shop for items.
- And Stye, who raised a $8M seed round, uses hyper-detailed AI tagging to support search.
AI Shopping Assistants are part of the larger AI Agent trend, a cultural shift toward AI-assisted decision-making.
Whether we prefer human recommendations over an AI trained on our preferences is debatable.
But when it comes to product reviews and questions, we want to hear from people who’ve experienced the product themselves — and that research can take some time.
That’s where B2B SaaS companies like Alby and Remark come in.
Alby plugs into e-comm sites and asks shoppers questions to help them make a quicker purchase.
It’s pulling from product descriptions and customer reviews.
Remark is taking things further, securing investment from Stripe and raising $10M to “make AI more human.”
Instead of talking to faceless bots, Remark pairs customers with “experts” who get paid to answer customer questions.
Brands partnered with Remark ask their customers simple questions to match them with human experts who answer product considerations based on experience and expertise.
AI is fueling the hyper-personalization of the e-comm ecosystem.
Brands must maintain a strong social media presence and integrate new tools to meet Gen Z’s preferences for convenience, interactivity, and affordability.
Ok, that’s all we’ve got for today.
Thanks for spending time with us on this week’s Inflection Point deep dive.
We’ll see you next time.
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