Navigating Uncertainty: The Impact of AI on the eCommerce Landscape

As a professional in the eCommerce industry, I’ve spent the last 16 years immersed in a field that has shaped my career and identity. However, as I look towards the future, I find myself facing an unprecedented level of uncertainty. At 30, after a lengthy journey through various roles—transitioning from sales to my current position as Director of Partnerships—I cannot help but wonder what the next five years will hold.

My experience spans numerous facets of eCommerce, including web development, design projects, large-scale Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and broad marketing initiatives. I’ve been fortunate to contribute to projects with budgets ranging from $20,000 to over $1 million. I have led strategies in conversion rate optimization (CRO), user interface/user experience (UI/UX) planning, and upsell tactics. In essence, my career has revolved around creating impactful digital solutions.

However, the rapidly growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has disrupted our industry at an astonishing pace. A notable example is a former agency I worked with, which once boasted a team of 25 copywriters focused exclusively on SEO. Recently, I learned that this number has dwindled to just four, even as the department’s billable output has significantly increased. The agency has effectively harnessed AI to replace many junior writers, allowing lead writers to focus on refining prompts to ensure copyright compliance.

In a similar vein, another agency I am aware of eliminated its entire U.S. development team, opting instead for LATAM developers who now utilize AI platforms like ChatGPT for communication and project management via tools such as Jira and Slack.

While I am not suggesting that our industry is on the brink of collapse, I can certainly see where things are headed. The capabilities of AI are evolving so swiftly that tools now exist to build websites directly from Figma designs or even rudimentary sketches. I have witnessed AI generating specific code to integrate upsell functionalities without the need for any development expertise. Moreover, the rise of Google AI and prompt-based search is redefining traditional SEO practices in real-time.

In light of these developments, I find myself contemplating my career path more than ever before. Although I am currently pursuing my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, I am considering a potential shift back into a Head of Project Management or Senior Project Management role in a different industry altogether. It’s a time of significant introspection as I assess where my