WHO GETS PAID WHEN AI DOES THE SHOPPING?

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

AI shopping assistants could weaken marketplaces' advertising and commission economics by owning the customer relationship and sending orders directly to fulfillment providers. Amazon generated $69 billion in advertising revenue in 2025, so losing control of product discovery could threaten a major profit pool even if it keeps fulfilling orders. Platforms like Shopify and Toast have more reason to welcome agents because they can gain new sales while still earning software and payments revenue. The outcome depends on whether agents create new demand or simply reroute existing orders, since new purchases can offset lower profit per order.