Darrell Kopke

@chandnirao_here you need to build this

when i think about the history of commerce and where we're headed, this is what comes to mind: Marx's annihilation of space by time. what Marx was trying to describe was a moment in time when markets that were mostly local, separated by distance and time, suddenly began to connect in ways that had previously seemed impossible. and that the capital deployed to collapse these distances (via railways and the telegraph) happened because the enormous distances limiting commerce was too big of a friction. every commerce infrastructure wave (internet, Google search, payment infra, merchat infra like Shopify etc.) has only collapsed distances that have felt impossible to collapse. (apologies to every economist who just winced reading this) but my point is the following: the simplest heuristic for thinking about the future of "agentic" commerce is this same concept. also, every time a distance has collapsed, it's felt like magic to the consumer (buyer). i think there's more this distance to be collapsed so in 🧵below, i explore: - ideas/ protoypes i've been tinkering with - earliest/most fun use case i've seen of negotiation agents being built by @zhangbaiwu

i’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about where commerce is heading, esp as it gets more personal, more predictive, and more agentic so now that Google’s (finally) decided to join the party at #GoogleIO, a few thoughts: 1. Google Shop: a bundling of everything we’ve been seeing across the ecosystem: - Pinterest (better visual search) - @doji_com (virtual try-ons) - Stripe’s agentic commerce workflows - Phia’s fashion deal-finding (Phoebe Gates' startup), - - product discovery intelligence from OpenAI and Perplexity - dozens of other "AI-shopping assistant" startups (Daydream raised $50M for AI-enabled product discovery last year and has yet to launch a beta despite being led by former Pinterest talent). 2. this was inevitable and overdue; they've always had the most powerful asset in commerce. Google is where users begin their shopping journey altho we're starting to see this change with chatgpt; if their UX/UI wasn’t so clunky, half the startups in this space wouldn’t even exist. 3. i suspect virtual try-ons are on their way to becoming a commodity. less of a moat, more of a feature. every ecommerce site will offer some sort of a virtual try-on widget but the real differentiation will lie across 3 axes: - aesthetics (@doji_com offers an editorial-grade look so feels more aspirational; i prefer this look) - fit precision or accuracy (i’ve tried the Doji app and as someone who’s not 6’ with model proportions, there’s still work to be done. we’ll also have to see if Google can get this right) - catalog coverage. Google's strength is volume and breadth, but could the next frontier be portable? API driven avatars that users can take with them across the internet to any site, any brand, in any aesthetic they choose? 4. the real value in agentic commerce is not so much the one-click purchasing (impressive, sure) but more so the outsourcing of tedious cognitive work -- checking multiple websites, comparing prices, confirming size and stock availability, figuring out if something ships to you and return policies, etc. it's less about speed and more about relief. i wish this was emphasized more at Stripe's Sessions and Google's I/O. i don't know anyone who fantasizes about frictionless checkout 🤷‍♀️. we’re all just hoping for commerce that feels like a gift, not a task. (hire me for product narrative that moves people 😅) 5. lastly, and this is why i've been thinking about this for years. online shopping has always felt like a chore. more convenient than going to a store, but never joyful. despite all their reach, Google and Pinterest never really solved that. they made it (somewhat) searchable, not delightful. and i truly doubt that it will ever be because of the misaligned incentives (ads over delight; sorry Google). so i still think there's one big unlock to make the future of commerce more joyful: an intuitive taste engine. a context-aware system that understands your aesthetic values (sustainability, ethics, price sensitivity) so well that it feels like shopping with a best friend who has impeccable taste.

@chandnirao_here There is much left to do - agentic AI will get us there. But not yet. Personalization is inherent in IRL shopping and needs to be the case for online shopping. This is as much a supply chain issue as a tech issue. Without a consistent back end you don’t have a workable front end

@VanJones68 your words are poetry; your commentary important and poignant. Thank you for your insight.

Congrats to the eWebinar team and @msskwan - very nicely done!

@brianstelter just finished your book #Hoax and I learned so much. Thank you for writing it. Great read!

Let us dress up your hero as a personal thank you for all they do for their community. Tag us and use #EverydayHeroes in your shoutout so we can recognize all these important individuals! 🏆

Who deserves an extra round of applause in your life? Tag us and use #EverydayHeroes in your tweet so we can gift that awesome individual a bundle worth $350!! 🤩

@andersoncooper Congratulations!!! The best news of the day was learning about Wyatt!

We want you to post about a hero in your life using #EverydayHeroes and tag us! A retweet from us = $350 bundle to gift that person for ONLY the price of shipping. Plus you’ll receive a personal 40% off code as thanks for sharing the goodness in others. Link in bio for details.

@VanJones68 you are a role model in combatting toxic masculinity and I welled up listening to your story about ten years ago. #VanJonesShow Thank you!

@RosieBarton I love your podcast #partylines - only wish it was one more than once per week.

@LiliBernard Your articulate take on Cosby brought tears to my eyes. You are a role model. Thank you for your strength.

About to be interviewed live on CNN News Hour, 11:30am PST.

@jameshaskell Good day, James. As a modern gentleman and social influencer, we would greatly appreciate you watching this moving tribute to rugby. Please then help us to spread the word on your social channels. #DearRugby #LongLiveRugby #ModernGentleman #Battletested

Well said! #LongLiveRugby #DearRugby

@gasbarnut12 Beautiful

@RugbyLambo That is the sign of a modern gentleman #DearRugby

Words can’t describe how much I love the game of rugby! I’m extremely passionate about it and I’m extremely passionate when I’m supporting my teams. I don’t see anything wrong with that. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I will show my emotion. If I end up crying, I cry. Simple!

Check these guys out if you haven’t already done so. Always a great insight to our game #DearRugby

@Lauren_Barber40 @aedelhard This is beautiful

No words can express how grateful I am to have rugby be such a huge part of my life. #Rugby has challenged and guided me through all my greatest achievements. For that, I will continue to #GiveBack where I can and open opportunities for others to join the #RugbyFamily. #ThankYou

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we at Ædelhard wanted to say thank you to our sport with this powerful message. Watch it, share it, and then reply....how do YOU say thank you to Rugby? Use hashtag #DearRugby. #LongLiveRugby Please RT.