Eye on Media: Jason Del Rey on the Myth of ‘Post-Search’ Shopping and the Reality of Agentic Commerce

Jason Del Rey is the founder of The Aisle and a veteran journalist specializing in the intersection of technology and commerce. A former correspondent for Fortune and Recode, he is the author of the acclaimed book Winner Sells All and the creator of the hit podcast Land of the Giants.

Recognized by the National Retail Federation as a key industry influencer, Del Rey’s work has shaped the narrative surrounding retail leaders such as Amazon and Walmart. Here, he offers insight into AI and agentic commerce.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Q: You’ve mentioned that The Aisle aims to “separate real developments from empty hype.” Given how quickly retail tech moves, what specific red flags or “marketing speak” do you look for when evaluating whether an AI-powered commerce startup is actually offering a transformative tool versus just a shiny wrapper on existing tech?

Jason Del Rey: I’d be lying if I said I had a slam-dunk formula for this, but there are certainly some red flags: an incoherent or unconvincing answer about differentiation and/or harsh, negative feedback from objective longtime industry sources of mine who’ve tested the tools.

Neither means I’ll write off a company completely, but either would set off some alarms indicating I should likely dig in more.

Q: You frequently cover agentic commerce — the idea of AI agents making autonomous purchasing decisions for consumers. In your reporting, what has been the biggest hurdle for consumer trust in these systems?

JDR: I’m typically using the phrase “agentic commerce” as a catch-all to also include for AI-enabled or AI-powered commerce too, where a human is most definitely still in the loop.

But to answer your question, I don’t necessarily believe there’s a lack of consumer trust in fully autonomous buying; I just don’t think there are enough truly compelling use cases yet nor ones being aggressively marketed to a mass audience.

Q: and do you believe we will truly see a “post-search” shopping world by the end of 2026? 

JDR: As for a truly “post-search” shopping world, no, I think we’re still a couple of years out.

Q: As a veteran journalist who has worked for major outlets such as Fortune and Vox/Recode, what has been the most surprising challenge or reward of moving to a bootstrapped, reader-funded model? 

JDR: Not sure if this should have been a surprise, but I gain a disproportionate percentage of new paid subscribers on the day I publish a new newsletter, and the day after. The ongoing challenge will be increasing publishing volume without diluting the quality of my work. But I trust I’ll be able to do that in time. 

Q: And how does this independence change the way you approach sensitive “scoops” regarding industry giants like Amazon or Walmart? 

JDR: It doesn’t change it too much. Luckily, I’m part of Beehiiv’s “Media Collective,” which provides select journalists using the Beehiiv platform with pre-publication legal review and financial assistance for libel insurance. 

Q: With the rise of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and AI-driven product discovery, the traditional search funnel is breaking. Based on your conversations with brand leaders, are they more afraid of losing their visibility on Google/Amazon, or are they genuinely excited about the possibility of reaching customers through more conversational, personalized AI interfaces?

JDR: A lot of what I’ve heard on this topic suggests it’s both a disconcerting and exciting time. And I think I would feel similarly. That said, many brands are publicly trying to project more of the latter than the former, which is also understandable.

Q: A significant portion of your coverage looks at how AI impacts the bottom line for retailers. Looking at the human side of the aisle, what do you see as the most pressing ethical concern — is it the displacement of retail workers, the potential for algorithmic price discrimination, or the loss of consumer data privacy in the race to build better shopping assistants?

JDR: All of the above, though I think there will still be a real, long-term need for workers in physical retail. Algorithmic price discrimination definitely worries me, and I think it’s already happening much more than the public realizes. I will be reporting extensively in this space (please send your tips!). 

I’m also concerned about consumer data privacy regarding the intimate information people share with LLMs, but sadly, it feels like that boat has passed for many. That said — and to be clear, I hope this never happens — one major hack of an AI lab could cause users to second-guess how much they share, at least temporarily.

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 Arthur Zaczkiewicz is a former executive editor at WWD and has appeared in WWD, WWD Voices, Beauty Inc, Footwear News, WWD JAPAN.com, Yahoo Entertainment, Yahoo Life, Yahoo Tech, MSN, Yahoo Canada, Yahoo News, Yahoo Singapore, Aol, Los Angeles Times, Yahoo Finance, Flipboard, Yahoo Sports, NewsBreak, Sourcing Journal, and Athletech News.