Will My Field Be Fully Transformed Soon? Facing Uncertainty About My Future After Decades of Stability

Navigating the Future: The Impact of AI on the eCommerce Industry

As a seasoned professional in the eCommerce landscape, I find myself at a crossroads unlike any I’ve experienced before. At just 30 years old, I’ve spent nearly half my life in this industry, starting my journey at the age of 14 and gradually climbing the ranks since 2015. My various roles—from Director of Project Management to my current position as Director of Partnerships—have equipped me with extensive expertise in web development, design, SEO, and comprehensive marketing campaigns.

However, recent developments in artificial intelligence have catalyzed monumental shifts in my field, leaving me pondering the future beyond the next five years.

The Rapid Evolution of eCommerce

Over the years, I have contributed to a wide array of projects, overseeing budgets ranging from $20,000 to over $1 million. My involvement in strategic initiatives—such as conversion rate optimization (CRO), user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) planning, and upsell strategies—has provided a chance to influence significant outcomes for my agency and our clients.

Yet, I have recently become acutely aware of how swiftly AI technologies are encroaching on traditional roles within our industry. For instance, one agency I previously collaborated with specialized in SEO, employing a team of 25 copywriters just a few years ago. After reconnecting with a former colleague still at the agency, I learned that this number has dwindled to just four. Astonishingly, they have managed to increase their SEO department’s billable revenue by $20,000 per month using AI to replace many of the junior writing roles. Senior writers are now primarily tasked with making minor adjustments to ensure compliance with copyright requirements.

Shifting Workforce Dynamics

Another agency example illustrates the trend even further. They recently dismissed their entire U.S. development team, opting instead for a team based in Latin America. The new developers rely heavily on tools like ChatGPT for effective communication through project management platforms like Jira and Slack.

While I’m not suggesting that the eCommerce industry is on the brink of collapse, the changes are significant and ongoing. AI capabilities are advancing with astonishing speed—tools are now able to construct websites from Figma designs or even simple sketches, while code for upsell features is being generated without requiring developers’ intervention. Concurrently, Google’s AI initiatives are beginning to redefine how we approach SEO, replacing traditional search practices with new, prompt-driven methodologies.

Em