What happens when the marketing funnel collapses and AI takes over discovery? Scot Wingo talks with Andrea Leigh, Amazon veteran and CEO of Allume Group, about the latest Allume Insider Report (AIR).
We cover:
• How ~60% of shoppers now use AI for product research
• “Value” as price and purpose (Gen Z, resale, circular)
• Social commerce’s rise and the blur between entertainment & shopping
• Why D2C sites are crucial for AI readability
• The shaky future of retail media networks and SEO
Andrea pulls back the curtain on how AI, value, and entertainment are rewriting the rules of commerce. This conversation is a roadmap for brands preparing for the collapse of search and the rise of agentic shopping.
⏱️ Time Stamps
01:41 – Guest intro: Andrea Leigh, Amazon alum & CEO of Allume Group.
03:18 – Andrea’s Amazon career and path to founding Allume Group.
06:14 – Amazon negotiations today: bots, automation, and leverage.
06:59 – Tariffs: who pays and why consumers often shoulder it.
08:01 – The origins of the Allume Insider Report (AIR).
11:10 – Three trends shaping commerce: AI help, value, and fun.
12:02 – 60% of shoppers already use AI for product discovery.
15:16 – Gen Z starts searches on TikTok, not Amazon.
19:29 – ChatGPT Checkout: affiliate or true marketplace?
26:11 – Value redefined: bargain-hunting, private label, and resale on the rise.
31:12 – Social commerce explodes: TikTok Shops headed for $17B.
32:47 – “Amazon solved buying but killed shopping.”
40:05 – D2C sites as AI-readable “source of truth.”
46:22 – Retail media and SEO industries under pressure from AI.
53:20 – Amazon’s Rufus and the fight to compete with LLMs.
52:55 – Closing thoughts + download the free AIR report.
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