83% are using AI. So what? — 80/20 of Ecom 5/1/26

AI is everywhere in ecommerce now.

That is no longer the question.

The real question is:

Is it actually moving the business?

That's what stood out to me from the new Marketplace Pulse Seller Index report.

Marketplace Pulse surveyed 181 marketplace sellers representing over $2B in combined annual revenue. According to their AI adoption write-up, 83.4% of marketplace sellers now use AI somewhere in their operations.

But here's the part that matters:

25.4% said no area has delivered measurable results yet.

So yes, sellers are using AI.

But a lot of them still can't point to a clear business result.

That's the gap.

Not adoption.

Impact.

Read the full Marketplace Pulse write-up here: https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/how-marketplace-sellers-are-using-ai

QUICK QUESTION: Are you getting measurable results from AI in your Amazon business right now?

Reply "YES" or "NO" — I read every one.

Most sellers do not need another AI toy.

They need a workflow.

A real ecommerce workflow.

Something that helps them make better decisions around:

Because asking ChatGPT to "improve this listing" is not the same thing as having a listing optimization system.

Running an AI PPC report once is not the same thing as having a PPC review workflow.

And asking AI what to reorder is not the same thing as having an inventory decision system.

That's why I keep coming back to this:

AI tools are easy. AI systems are hard.

Based on the report, there are three areas where I think sellers can get real leverage if they stop playing with tools and start building workflows.

This is the obvious one.

Marketplace Pulse found that listing optimization is the most common AI use case among sellers, with 63.5% using AI there.

That makes sense.

Listings are text-heavy.

They involve keywords, positioning, customer objections, benefits, images, A+ content, and competitor research.

AI can help with all of that.

But the mistake is treating this as a one-off prompt.

A better system looks like this:

That is what we'll cover inside OCEA3.

Not "paste your listing into AI and hope."

A real listing optimization workflow.

This is where the money leaks fastest.

The report shows advertising spend is one of the biggest margin pressures for sellers. Marketplace Pulse found that 43% of sellers cited advertising spend as one of the top cost categories hurting margins.

And this is where the AI gap gets interesting.

A lot of sellers are trying AI or automation for advertising management.

But only a small percentage say advertising has delivered the most measurable positive impact.

That tells me the opportunity is not just "let AI manage bids."

The opportunity is building a better PPC decision system.

Inside OCEA3, we'll work on a PPC workflow using what I call the GOLD prompt:

This matters because PPC is not one problem.

Sometimes the issue is relevancy.

Sometimes it is conversion.

Sometimes it is ranking.

Sometimes it is wasted spend.

Sometimes the campaign is doing exactly what it should do, but the business goal changed.

If the AI does not understand that context, it gives generic advice.

Generic PPC advice is dangerous.

This is the one I think sellers are underestimating.

The report shows inventory forecasting is much lower on the AI adoption list than listing optimization, image creation, and advertising management.

That surprised me.

Because inventory is low-hanging fruit.

It is not as flashy as image generation.

But it is much closer to cash flow.

Bad inventory decisions create real pain:

And for many Amazon sellers, inventory is where growth gets stuck.

You can have a strong listing and good PPC, but if your inventory planning is weak, you still lose.

Inside OCEA3, we'll cover inventory and supply chain management as part of the operating system.

Not as a magic forecast button.

More like a decision-support workflow:

That is where AI becomes useful.

Not by replacing judgment.

By helping you see the right problems faster.

The buyer side is changing too.

On Amazon's Q1 2026 earnings call this week, Andy Jassy said Rufus, Amazon's AI shopping assistant, can research products, track prices, and auto-buy products when they hit a set price. Amazon also said monthly active users for Rufus are up over 115%, with engagement up nearly 400% year-over-year.

So shoppers are not just searching the old way anymore.

They are starting to ask AI for help.

And sellers need to prepare for that.

Your product data.

Your listing.

Your reviews.

Your images.

Your brand positioning.

Your price.

Your availability.

All of that becomes input for AI-assisted buying decisions.

This is not theoretical anymore.

Read Amazon's Q1 2026 earnings call notes here: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-stores-growth-q1-2026-earnings-call

And it is not just Amazon.

Anthropic recently tested agent-to-agent commerce through "Project Deal," where Claude agents negotiated real deals on behalf of people. The test involved 69 employees, 186 completed deals, and over $4,000 in transaction value — all between AI agents, with no human input after setup.

That is early.

But it points to where this is going.

AI agents will not just write content.

They will research.

Compare.

Recommend.

Negotiate.

Buy.

That means sellers need to understand AI workflows before this becomes normal.

Read the Anthropic Project Deal write-up here: https://www.anthropic.com/features/project-deal

The sellers who win with AI will not be the ones who try every new tool.

They will be the ones who build useful workflows around the jobs that actually move the business.

For Amazon sellers, I'd start with:

PPC. Listings. Inventory.

Those three connect directly to margin, conversion, and cash flow.

That is why I upgraded OCEA3.

We're still covering OpenClaw.

But we're also covering how to think about tools like Codex, Claude Code, Claude Cowork, and other fast-moving AI tools.

The exact tools may change.

The principle will not:

Use the right tool for the right ecommerce job.

Inside 80/20 OpenClaw Ecom Accelerator — Cohort 3, we're building practical AI workflows for Amazon sellers.

Over two weeks, we'll cover:

Students who attend all four sessions and complete the homework will also get access to a bonus Session 5: AMA + Show & Tell + Graduation.

This is not a "watch videos and hope" program.

You'll need to show up, think, build, and do the work.

But if you want the first working version of an AI system for your Amazon business, this is what we're building.

Doors close tonight May 1st at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Join OCEA3 here

→ What Andy Jassy didn't say to shareholders this year — https://www.modernretail.co/technology/what-amazon-ceo-andy-jassys-annual-letter-to-shareholders-didnt-say/

→ Amazon is changing how you can prove a discount is real — https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2026/04/08/amazon-upends-discount-pricing-with-new-reference-price-rule/

→ Google launches Universal Commerce Protocol with Shopify, Etsy, Walmart, and Target — https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/agentic-commerce-ai-tools-protocol-retailers-platforms/

— Gary

P.S. If you're already "using AI" but you still can't point to measurable impact in your business, that's exactly the problem we're solving in this cohort. Tools are easy. Workflows are where the money is. Doors close tonight at 11:59 p.m. EST: Join here