Curation in Commerce: How Curation Eases Shopper Burden and Ensures a Frictionless Future

Making a list and checking it twice: fun, cute lyric, or yet another example of invisible labor that women take on during the holidays?

76% of American millennial women (and 82% of moms) feel that they shoulder most of the mental load of managing household affairs. And that definitely includes holiday shopping. We can’t change the world (we’re just one newsletter, after all), but this month, we’re looking at the future of curation in commerce, and whether it can play a positive role in making all that gift-buying easier. Let’s talk shop ???…

PANEL'S IN SESSION

The days of searching through stacks of products —?or clicking through pages of them —?are over, if you want them to be. We talked to two powerhouses in the commerce space – Emma Grace M. , founder of Praize Studio , and Samantha Baker , our own VP (??) about how they build and execute strategies with the consumer’s interests in mind.

When it comes to the future of eCommerce, where are you placing your bets?

Sam Baker: Our strategy is focused on staying agile and adapting to shifting consumer purchase behaviors. For example, consumers now expect a level of personalization that was previously seen as a bonus. They expect publishers to deliver product recommendations that are relevant to their interests and previous shopping behaviors.?

What curation-based eCommerce challenges are you currently obsessed with solving?

Emma Grace Moon: The increasing churn rate of trends and topics consumers are interested in is pressuring brands to maintain relevance at a faster rate — with both their products and marketing. This also pressures publications to create more content faster. I want to break this unsustainable pattern by isolating curation trends that last longer, or finding ways to optimize and update a curation with a few tweaks to re-engage an audience.

What are your thoughts on the role of AI in eCommerce curation?

Sam: AI can be incredibly powerful if done right. Focusing on AI within data analytics can enhance customer experiences, improve operational efficiency, and drive business growth while preserving a unique publisher voice. Human editors can curate products for specific customer profiles, with AI optimizing recommendations using data — for example, checking to see if an item is in stock in their size before delivering the personalized recommendation to the user.

How can curation play a positive role in helping women, who historically purchase more holiday gifts for their friends and family, be more efficient, and make the experience more rewarding?

Emma: Curation enhances the connection between readers and publications, and simplifies the product research process. The trust that women have in publications mainly hinges on expertise and values. Curation supports women in feeling confident in their purchases by validating the product's functionality and alignment with their values and aspirations.

Sam: Curation can help in a few ways. First, cutting down on time searching for gifts will help reduce stress. Second, curation helps with financial planning, ensuring the gifts selected provide quality assurance and value to the recipient across various price points. Finally, it allows the buyer to look at meaningfully curated items that tie back to their or the recipient's values, such as eco-friendly choices or identity-focused (e.g. women-owned, Black-owned etc.) products.

CASE STUDY: The AI Of It All

It’s time to talk (more) about the elephant in the room —?and spoiler, the elephant is a robot. Hi, AI. Let’s take a look at one way artificial intelligence is being used in eCommerce, this time on eBay .

The Big Idea

eBay has a “cold start” problem. Let us explain. They’ve found that first-time sellers on the platform often feel overwhelmed by how much information they have to enter in order to create a listing that will get any traction. But they also have a solution: AI. eBay’s new generative AI tool can automatically write a title and description of an item based on just a photo. Cold start, we barely knew you.?

The Impact

One tech reporter at The Verge found that the tool delivered cliched language, and left out critical info. But eBay is calling it their “magical listing tool,” and said in a blog post that as of late July, over 95% of sellers who tried the app opted to use the AI-generated descriptions.

The Future

Whether or not this tool is as magical as its moniker implies, it’s not going anywhere. Neither are lots of others like it —?not just for product listings, but for every piece of the marketing process. Commerce marketers, prepare yourselves: AI isn’t just coming, it’s already here. And it’s shaking things up.

COFFEE TALK

Whether your “water cooler” is actually a snack closet or a craftily-named Slack channel, gathering with colleagues to share recs, swap links, and talk trends is one of the best parts of work. Here are a few things we’re chatting about these days.

• Inclusive intimates. Victoria’s Secret & Co. launched an adaptive collection for women with disabilities, proving that meeting consumers where they’re at is always a winning approach.
• Going to the dogs. 54% of pet owners say they spend more time holiday shopping for their furry friends than for family members. This article from Retail Dive examines why — and how retailers are taking advantage.
• You snooze, you (don’t) lose. If you’re part of the 70% of people who hit the snooze button, it’s no biggie, according to new research. Fortune breaks down the benefits of getting a few extra Zzzs.
• So long “girlboss,” hello “soft girl.” For some women, climbing the corporate ladder is played out. Glamour explains why many are choosing the “soft girl” lifestyle (and how burnout may be to blame).
• theSkimm’s Best Gifts…Unwrapped. Did somebody say curation? We’re putting our money where our mouth is this season with a roundup of our top gifts in every category. You want it? We got it.

And with that, we’re off. Sending good thoughts for successful holiday launches, excessive last-minute dollars, and the strength to survive them both.

?? Until next time,?

Your friends at SKM Lab (who are we? Glad you asked)?

PS… Have questions or want to chat? Reach us at [email protected].