Katie Babcock, director of retail performance solutions at Google, said consumers are discovering products now across more touchpoints than ever before.
“We’re seeing it start in all different places,” Babcock explained. “I was getting on the plane, and somebody had a bag. I took out my phone and took a picture, which is now a search, to find the bag online. Then, I saw it in a video ad, for example, and that is now streaming, plus shopping, plus searching in a whole new way. So, it’s complex, but it’s everywhere.”
Fandom is part of the journey, too. Mahta Eghbali, VP of strategic alliances and global partnerships at Mattel.
“I think fandom begins at a very early age, but needs to be nurtured. The relationship can be easily broken these days, so we think about the fan, who is a shopper, a gifter, a child, or the millennial enjoying it in a different way,” Eghbali shared. “The funnel to me is not dead, but it definitely needs to be nurtured. It’s not as direct as it was before.”
AI is reducing friction—not replacing experiences
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in commerce, panelists agreed that its biggest role is to make shopping easier while preserving the enjoyment of discovery.
Babcock pointed to increasingly detailed searches that provide richer context for retailers. “Search queries are longer than they were in the past, and we have more context behind that query. It’s how we reduce the friction to lead you to a purchase,” she noted.
Sandbo added that consumers now search more conversationally, asking detailed questions instead of entering simple product keywords. “People are searching with a lot more specificity than we’ve ever seen before,” she explained. “It’s about making sure that you are set up for success as it relates to a real, tangible answer vs. just scraping and indexing web pages, which is a brand’s approach.”
The group also emphasized that AI cannot replace emotional connections. Reflecting on creator marketing, Sandbo shared that storytelling-centered campaigns often outperform transactional messaging. “People are looking for that connection, and that’s ultimately what makes it so effective, and what AI really can’t quite touch,” she said.
