They train on it and self-evaluate against it. Yet those AI-driven interfaces increasingly answer questions without sending users to the content source. Google's AI Overviews makes this obvious to many businesses in the form of dwindling search traffic. Many publishers are alarmed, having built their businesses on audience reach, page views, and advertising impressions. When AI systems summarize articles instead of referring readers, the economic model fractures.
Eric Bandholz: Give us an overview of what you do. Sean Larkin: I'm CEO and founder of Fueled, a customer data platform for ecommerce. We help brands strengthen the data signals sent to advertising and marketing platforms such as Meta to improve tracking and performance. Our team collaborates with companies such as Built Basics, Dr. Squatch, and Oats Overnight, ensuring accurate pixel data and confidence in their marketing metrics.
"Internally, we strive for the 'perfect send,' when 100 percent of the people who get the message click or engage, and no one opts out," said Alex Campbell, the chief innovation officer and co-founder at Vibes, a mobile marketing platform. Campbell was discussing the potential for AI individualization (AI-I), Rich Communication Services, and mobile marketing in the retail sector when he described this 100% engagement, 0% opt-out scenario.
People don't shop online anymore-they live there. And ecommerce brands that get it, win. Take Jacquemus. Instead of launching their Monte-Carlo store with a basic promo, they created a surreal beach club fantasy, complete with deadpan voiceovers, pastel visuals, and a wink at luxury itself. No influencers. No hard sell. Just a bizarrely perfect fake world that got everyone talking. This kind of creative restraint, paired with clever subversion, didn't just sell fashion; it sold feelings.