Episode Details

A year ago, just 7% of website referrals to U.S. retailer sites came from ChatGPT. By October 2025, that number had more than doubled to 16%. And it’s not just ecommerce: nearly one in five shoppers used LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity while shopping in-store over Thanksgiving weekend last year. That’s not a trend. That’s a shift.

In this episode, an expansion on a recent piece I wrote for The Drum, I share a personal story about how AI completely reshaped my own purchase journey (yes, it involves a Shark hair tool and zero browsing on a retailer site!). Then I break down what this “cosmic reset” means for retail media networks. If AI is claiming the early shopping journey, how do commerce media players compete? I walk through four strategic moves retailers must make now to protect their data advantage, strengthen their media moat, and win in an AI-shaped shopping world.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:00] – ChatGPT referrals to retailer sites double in a year, and 18% of shoppers use LLMs in-store.
[01:22] – My “hair rut” story: How AI replaced my browsing and narrowed my purchase to one SKU.
[02:51] – The real problem: Fewer signals, fewer surfaces, and less sponsored product exposure.
[04:23] – Strategy #1: Fueling the inspiration stage with offsite commerce media.
[07:15] – Strategy #2: Data collaboration and clean room partnerships across commerce networks.
[08:45] – Strategy #3 & #4: Product truth as a media lever, and why in-store is the most defensible arena.

Links & Resources

• Check out my full article on The Drum: Kiri Masters: Retailers, here’s how your media network can still thrive in an AI-shopping era
• Read my related articles:
  • Why OpenAI's Ad Network Should Concern RMNs
  • Retail Media's Measurement Problem: It's Not Just the Retailers
  • While We Debate What's 'Really' Agentic, Retail Media's Foundation Is Already Shifting
  • 'The Biggest Change in My Lifetime' — Marketecture CSO on AI Shopping

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