Future Commerce

The Agent Has Left the Building

Listen Later

As ChatGPT pulls back on native in-app checkout, malls becomemainstream again. Is agentic commerce ready for primetime, or are consumers seeking more analog experiences? PLUS: Dick's Sporting Goods' loyalty loop that turns steps into spending power, and a dystopian new platform that rents out humans for AI agents that can't operate in the physical world. Everything old is new again.

Granny’s Favorite Store Goes to TikTok Shop
Key takeaways:
  • ChatGPT is stepping back from native in-app checkout, but the commerce protocol it built with Stripe lives on
  • 77% of shoppers prefer clicking through to a website over buying directly via AI
  • The mall remains a societal favorite third space, even as stores become shoppable content studios (just ask John Lewis)
  • Dick's Sporting Goods' movement-linked rewards program is quietly building one of retail's stickiest loyalty ecosystems, making it a viable competitor to AI apps
  • "Rent-a-Human" platforms signal a strange new frontier: AI agents outsourcing tasks to people in “meatspace”
    • In-Show Mentions:
    • How 2,000 consumers used AI to shop
    • Gen Z Is Going to the Mall Again — WSJ
    • Rent-a-Human
    • Join us at Shoptalk Spring 2026!
      • Associated Links:
      • Check out Future Commerce on YouTube
      • Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print
      • Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world
      • Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

        • Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!


        Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

        ...more
        View all episodesView all episodes
        Download on the App Store
        Future CommerceBy Phillip Jackson, Brian Lange
        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9

        4.9

        83 ratings

        More shows like Future Commerce

        View all
        The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

        The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

        539 Listeners

        The Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish

        The Knowledge Project

        2,685 Listeners

        Shopify Masters by Shopify

        Shopify Masters

        381 Listeners

        The a16z Show by Andreessen Horowitz

        The a16z Show

        1,106 Listeners

        How I Built This with Guy Raz by Guy Raz | Wondery

        How I Built This with Guy Raz

        30,210 Listeners

        Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

        Y Combinator Startup Podcast

        233 Listeners

        Morning Brew Daily by Morning Brew

        Morning Brew Daily

        3,046 Listeners

        Uncensored CMO by Jon Evans

        Uncensored CMO

        47 Listeners

        All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

        All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

        10,244 Listeners

        Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

        Dwarkesh Podcast

        550 Listeners

        The Artificial Intelligence Show by Paul Roetzer and Mike Kaput

        The Artificial Intelligence Show

        216 Listeners

        ACQ2 by Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

        ACQ2 by Acquired

        301 Listeners

        No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups by Conviction

        No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

        140 Listeners

        OPERATORS by OPERATORS

        OPERATORS

        50 Listeners

        Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

        Prof G Markets

        1,480 Listeners