For all its speed and convenience, e-commerce has long risked losing something essential: the sense of discovery that makes shopping joyful. Transactions and next-day deliveries have been perfected, but has it been at the expense of inspiration? Now, as AI-powered search transforms how people find products online, retail is entering a new phase – one in which shopping can start with an image, an idea, or a feeling, in place of a keyword.
By 2028, digital sales are set to top $8 trillion.¹ Yet, according to Criteo, three out of four consumers still say online shopping is the least exciting way to shop.² This tension between efficiency and inspiration now defines retail’s next frontier. I believe that the future isn’t just about faster checkouts; it’s about helping people envision the life they desire – and making that vision shoppable.
As shopping journeys evolve, inspiration – not information – is fast becoming the new starting point. But this shift also raises a crucial question: if AI accelerates discovery, can it preserve what makes inspiration feel human? The challenge for platforms and retailers alike is to ensure technology doesn’t flatten creativity. The best is actually yet to come. Technology has the power to amplify it.
The rise of AI-powered discovery
Visual search sits at the center of this shift. For generations, beautiful visuals have been at the heart of shopping – a well-dressed window, the glint of new leather, the joy of stumbling upon an unforgettable dress or a book you never set out to buy. Now, that same instinct is being replicated online through AI-powered visual search. It lets people find products based on images rather than text, bringing the physical experience of “seeing and wanting” into digital environments.
The AI technology behind visual search is increasingly capable of interpreting visual cues and emotional context – not just matching shapes or colours, but understanding aesthetic intent. Pinterest uniquely pairs AI with evolving human preference signals through a sophisticated “taste graph” that maps its billions of user signals: searches, saves, Pins and clicks.³ This enables the platform to recognise not only what images contain, but what someone hopes to create from them. That balance matters: when AI becomes too prescriptive, discovery feels generic; but when guided by human taste, it sparks creativity.
Gen Z and the new shopping mindset
Nowhere is this shift clearer than with Gen Z, who are reshaping online discovery. Representing over half of Pinterest’s users,⁴ they approach shopping as an act of self-expression. According to PowerReviews, they’re 68% more likely than previous generations to start a shopping journey with an image or video,⁵ showing how inspiration now precedes intent.
What this generation values the most: Authenticity and personalisation. The industry’s challenge is to meet that appetite for expression in a digitally native way. Today’s retail heroes don’t dictate taste – they champion unique identities, letting individuals browse by vibe, body type, or style. They use AI to celebrate differences, not just push products. For Gen Z in particular, there is little patience for algorithms that feel intrusive. The opportunity and risk lie in using AI to broaden possibilities, not narrow them. Customisable wishlists, personal filters, and mood boards aren’t just features – they help every shopper see their own preferences reflected and explored.
As the line between inspiration and intent blurs, retailers are rethinking how they connect emotionally with consumers. In visual-first environments, brands no longer have to choose between storytelling and sales – both can happen at once. When discovery feels organic and relevant, even promoted content can serve as inspiration, not interruption.
Retail’s next chapter
Shopping began as a sensory experience – about colour, texture, and imagination. Now, technology has the opportunity to replicate magic online. On platforms, where people arrive with an open mind and a creative goal, AI-driven visual search is transforming a text bar into a digital shop window of discovery. We’re on the cusp of the next evolution of retail, merging possibility with practicality, fusing the reach of e-commerce with the emotion of visual discovery. I’m excited for it.
The high street has set the standard for immersive shopping, with spaces like Selfridges in London or Le Bon Marché in Paris turning retail into theatre. Today, technology offers the chance to reimagine and define that sense of wonder for the digital age. The key to success is whether AI can preserve the emotional nuance of discovery – the spark of seeing something new and feeling understood – versus reducing inspiration to a set of predictions. Retail’s future belongs to those who can unite inspiration and intent through visual search, helping shoppers not only find what they want and most importantly imagine what’s possible.
Footnotes – all publicly available
1 – Shopify (October 2024), Global Ecommerce Sales Growth Report
2 – Criteo & Havard PR (February 2025), “The Spark of Discovery: Reigniting The Emotion of Ecommerce”. Study conducted among 6,000 consumers and 600 brand leaders across six markets (UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea).
3 – Pinterest Q3 Earnings Report, Global 2024
4 – Pinterest Q2 Earnings Report, Global 20255 – PowerReviews (2024) “Consumers’ Growing Reliance on Visual Content”
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