Today, most shopping in the U.S. revolves around search-based online commerce: you type the product you're looking for into a search bar and click "buy."

But what about the products you're not looking for? Search-based commerce deprives consumers of one of the most delightful parts of shopping: discovery.

Retailers and brands are now using AI to collect data from both your own purchase history and others’ to provide an endless list of desirable things that you might want to buy.

In this video, a16z general partner Connie Chan unpacks how this evolution in product discovery—and how it will lead to more purchases and fewer returns—is the future of commerce.

The next generation of marketplace winners will be the brands that successfully combine the joyous discovery of offline shopping with the infinite options of online shopping.

For more, check out:

Connie Chan's bio: https://a16z.com/author/connie-chan/

More of Connie's thoughts on search-based online commerce: https://www.ft.com/content/77294621-4...

Connie's piece on a16z, What China Can Teach Us About the Future of TikTok and Video Search: https://a16z.com/2022/09/21/what-chin...

Connie and Justine Moore's article on a16z, Generative AI: The Next Consumer Platform https://a16z.com/2023/02/07/everyday-...

Connie and Avery Segal's article on a16z, The Video-First Future of Ecommerce: https://a16z.com/2019/12/05/video-fir...