Commerce Chronicles - Moving to the New Age: How AI in E-commerce Businesses is Being Leveraged?

The shocking thing about AI isn’t its arrival anymore.

While we’re too busy debating the inevitable, most brands are fumbling the implementation, thinking that simply accepting artificial intelligence into their processes is enough. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Our latest Commerce Chronicles survey shows that while 100% of respondents said they’re using AI in some form, confidence scores reveal a little secret…AI acceptance isn’t the problem; it’s strategic implementation.

This edition doesn’t just report the data. We’re calling out the myths, breaking down what’s actually working, and showing you where the 2025 money is moving before everyone else wakes up.

AI Adoption: 100% Are Using It…But Not the Way You Think

100% of respondents reported using AI tools in their business. But here’s the twist: 83% said they’re using it for marketing and content only.

That means operators are feeding prompts into ChatGPT, spinning up ad copy, maybe optimizing product titles… while ignoring the real money levers. The reality is that AI can also be used to automate tasks beyond content creation, such as product recommendations and customer support. 

And it’s actually really good at it too.

From the respondents who highlighted how AI has been incorporated into other areas from content creation, here’s what they’ve had to say:

In our survey, Christopher Tapia, Founder and CEO of Luxury Fire, shared that within his company, AI brings “a personalized shopping experience, smarter automation and real-time customer support”. For Christopher, this equates to “a premium, efficient, and tailored experience for every customer”.

Similarly, over at Crown Bees, Julie Lichtenberg, Director of Marketing and Communications, is focused on using AI to “discover buying trends, purchasing power, customer behavior in much more real-time than ever”.  Adding “This allows e-commerce companies to spend less time on manual forecasting and more time acting on accurate, up-to-date insights”.

For both these businesses, AI isn’t just about saving time with content; it’s about optimizing systems for a higher ROI. Areas like forecasting and customer retention that move the needle in unimaginable ways.

But like the initial data showed, this isn’t every company. Just because your organization gives AI the thumbs up doesn’t mean it’s actually moving the needle and conversion factors. The brands limiting AI to ad copy are about to get leapfrogged by competitors wiring it into operations, product development, and customer retention.

BlueTuskr Insight…

Trust AI!

AI has matured, yet a lot of companies still limit it to content creation. We’ll say it directly… AI-written copy won’t save your margins; AI-driven decision-making will.

While we get that content might be a safe place to start with AI, copy isn’t really as make-or-break as your entire supply chain or operations (plus, it’s actually one of those places where authenticity reigns, so yes, pay for that professional writer).

AI is now mature enough to trust with other areas of your organization, such as operations and forecasting; it’s just up to you to trust and implement it.

Effectiveness & Performance Optimization: Only 33% Call AI “Very Effective”, Here’s Why That’s a Red Flag

When we asked how effective AI has been so far:

• 33% said “Very Effective”

• 50% said “Somewhat Effective”

• 17% admitted it hasn’t moved the needle at all

This mirrors McKinsey’s 2025 AI in Retail Report, where 71% of companies claim to use AI for marketing, yet only 11% tie it directly to profit growth…

That’s not just a gap. That’s a canyon.

Patrick Burke, Founder and President of Sendy’s Snack Co., called AI “a productivity boost” but stressed that human connection still wins loyalty. 

And we get it. But here’s the issue…

While staying in touch with customers at the 100 customer mark might be doable, a human connection at scale (keyword…at scale) is impossible without AI. And probably one of the most beneficial places AI could help scale as CAC soars 20–30%.

AI isn’t giving a weak ROI because it’s weak technology. It’s giving a weak ROI because it’s being pointed at weak problems. 

BlueTuskr Insight…

For the biggest AI ROI: Look at trends.

For AI to truly shine, it has to flow with the current trajectories of the digital marketing world. 

See where CAC is spiking, where CPAs are dropping, where retargeting is heating up…and deploy AI there. If you’re deploying it in dead channels, disconnected from what’s actually converting in 2025, it will underperform every single time.

Confidence Levels…

We asked: On a scale of 1–10, how confident are you that you’re using AI to its fullest right now?

• 0% scored above 7

• 50% landed between 4–6

• 50% admitted they’re basically winging it at 3 or below

Translation? This isn’t a lack of access problem; it’s an option overload problem.

There are too many AI platforms, too many plug-and-play tools, and way too many self-proclaimed experts selling “ultimate” AI playbooks.

As Michael Koski, Owner of Get Bats Out, put it bluntly: “AI is aggressively disrupting e-commerce and those who do not adapt will soon be left behind.” The pressure is real, but so is the noise.

Every week, there’s a new “ultimate” AI tool promising to:

• Boost ROAS…

• Run your entire funnel on autopilot…

• Maybe do your taxes

And yet, confidence scores stay low because brands don’t know which tools actually deliver on that vision…

BlueTuskr Insight…

Focus on what works for YOU. And YOUR business.

The problem isn’t that brands lack AI educational content; it’s that there’s too much of it, and we’re looking at the tools that everyone else is using rather than focusing on our own R&D and making decisions from there.

The outcome?  We’re stuck choosing from 100,001 products, while also feeling like we don’t know enough about AI.

If we can leave you with anything, take these two things:

1. At some point, any AI platform is as good as the next. While we’re not saying go into it blindly, we will say hesitation kills. Just implement it and learn from there.

2. Education without execution is just digital busywork, and right now, most brands are graduating from every AI “masterclass” while still running a first-grade tech stack.

How Can I Implement AI in E-commerce?

Rolling out AI in your e-commerce business isn’t about flipping a switch; it’s about making smart, data-driven moves that add real value. 

The first step? Dive deep into your customer data to pinpoint where AI can make the biggest difference. By leveraging machine learning algorithms to analyze behavioral data (think purchase history, browsing patterns, and even abandoned carts…etc), you can serve up personalized product recommendations that transform the online shopping experience for every customer.

But it doesn’t stop there…

Predictive analytics powered by AI can accurately forecast demand, optimize inventory management, and streamline your entire supply chain, ensuring you’re never caught off guard by sudden shifts in customer needs.

And when it comes to customer support, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are game-changers, providing immediate answers to customer questions and freeing up your support agents to tackle more complex issues. The result? Higher customer satisfaction, a smoother online shopping experience, and a support team that’s more efficient than ever.

Future of AI: Where Operators See Customer Experience Going

When asked about the future:

• 50% predict hyper-personalization and conversational commerce will dominate

• 33% see immersive AR and VR redefining online shopping

• 17% expect real-time analytics to become the backbone of every decision

And here’s the wildest part: most of this isn’t “the future” at all; it’s already happening, while a lot in the industry still talks about it like science fiction rather than preparing for implementation.

Angela Zeng, Founder and CEO of Karviva Beverages, said it best, “Shoppers won’t browse. They’ll ask AI what to buy. Brands combining AI-powered visibility with authentic storytelling will win.”

TikTok Shop is already proving it right, and the growth is staggering: US TikTok Shop sales jumped 120% in the 12 months to June 2025, while UK sales hit triple-digit growth, according to TikTok’s official figures.

And Shopify’s new AI-driven storefront personalization, such as Shopify Magic, is rewriting what the term “homepage” even means. We’re entering a world where static category pages die, replaced by one-to-one, AI-built shopping journeys in real time.

BlueTuskr Insight…

Here’s the scariest part of it all…(and if you could take anything away from this article, it’s this):

Most brands will watch this play out instead of building for it. Start now.

Hate to say it, but a lot of operators are treating AI like a shiny side project instead of the engine of their P&L. They will wake up two years from now, wondering how their category got eaten alive by competitors who baked AI into sourcing, pricing, merchandising, product launches, and upsells from day one.

Like many things, building a snowball effect that by the time they catch up, it’s already too late.

BlueTuskr’s Take: AI-Powered Tools Aren’t Your Intern. They’re Your Entire C-Suite…

From our vantage point, working with leading e-commerce brands, three key moves will define the AI winners over the next 24 months:

1. Trust AI With High-Impact Roles: AI isn’t the intern writing your product descriptions. It’s the CFO managing your margins, the CMO sequencing your channels, the COO forecasting your inventory, and the CX team personalizing every single touchpoint.

2. Cut Through the Tool Overload: With 50+ platforms for ad optimization, 20 for personalization, and dozens more for pricing, tech stacks are getting messy. The winners won’t be the brands testing everything; they’ll be the ones building one connected AI stack tied directly to P&L outcomes. 

3. Move Beyond Content Into Full-Funnel AI: Personalization, conversational commerce, real-time analytics, the next generation of AI adoption isn’t about reducing copywriting hours. It’s about predicting demand, sequencing offers, optimizing margins, and making every customer interaction one-to-one.

At BlueTuskr, we see AI adoption as the dividing line: the brands that integrate AI into the core of their business will own the future. 

The ones that don’t? They’ll be Googling “AI for e-commerce” while their competitors build category dominance.

What are the Benefits of Using AI in E-commerce?

If you’re still not sold, AI isn’t just a buzzword...it’s a game-changer for e-commerce brands looking to level up the customer experience and drive real results. 

With AI systems in place, routine tasks can be automated, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex, high-value interactions (not replacing them!).

The result? 

Improved service quality, higher customer satisfaction, and a team that’s empowered to handle what really matters. Brands that can stay ahead of shifting preferences and market trends, ensuring every touchpoint is optimized for maximum impact, all while keeping operational costs in check.

It’s seriously a new age in marketing, and it’s just starting. Are you in?

What’s Next

If you want to stay ahead in the AI race, don’t just binge LinkedIn posts about “the 10 best AI tools” and call it strategy. Tune into The E-Comm Show, where we cut through the hype and unpack how real operators are actually using AI to lower CAC, boost ROAS, and build customer experiences that don’t feel like they were designed by a robot.

And when you’re ready to move beyond AI theory and into profitable execution, our team at BlueTuskr helps e-commerce brands integrate AI where it matters most, across paid media, SEO, conversion rate optimization, email, and content, so you can stop experimenting in silos and start scaling with a stack that actually talks to each other.

Because the brands that win won’t be the ones testing every shiny tool. They’ll be the ones connecting the dots between AI, strategy, and bottom-line impact (and we can help you do it!).