The a16z Show The Death of Search: How Shopping Will Work In The Age of AI
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Sep 17, 2025 
In this discussion, Alex Rampell, a General Partner at a16z with a background in e-commerce, and Justine Moore, a Partner focused on AI and consumer markets, dive into the transformative role of AI agents in online shopping. They explore how consumer behaviors are shifting, the challenges of trust in product reviews, and the implications for traditional marketing models. They also discuss dynamic pricing, the role of video reviews, and the exciting future of specialized shopping agents that could reshape commerce as we know it.
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Teens Use AI To Shop Celebrity Looks
- Justine recounted teens using ChatGPT to identify clothing or accessories from celebrity photos.
- The AI often returned exact items or cheaper lookalikes, showing early research use cases.
Limits To Personalized Price Gouging
- Dynamic personalized pricing and elasticity capture sound appealing but face regulatory and reputational risks.
- Firms attempting extreme price discrimination will likely encounter consumer backlash and limits.
Demand Curve Limits E‑Commerce Share
- E-commerce growth is constrained by immediacy and experiential demand curves, not just channel availability.
- Some purchases remain offline because timing, touch, or experience matters.