Video is no longer a supporting asset in digital commerce. It is rapidly becoming the operating system of modern retail.
In Episode 10 of the Digital Front Door podcast, the conversation centers on a structural shift underway across ecommerce, retail media, and physical stores. Ajay Bam, co-founder and CEO of Vyrill Inc., outlines how artificial intelligence is transforming video from passive media into an adaptive, searchable, measurable sales engine.
For omnichannel retailers navigating evolving shopper expectations, the implications are significant.
The Behavioral Shift Toward Video-Led Commerce
Consumer behavior has fundamentally changed. Short-form video platforms have trained shoppers to expect visual, authentic, fast-moving product information. Increasingly, purchase journeys begin not with search bars, but with scrollable feeds.
TikTok Shop’s rapid commerce growth underscores the shift toward video commerce. According to reporting from CNBC, TikTok Shop generated significant holiday sales momentum in the U.S., highlighting the platform’s ability to convert short-form video engagement into transactions.
What began as entertainment has evolved into a primary discovery engine. Shoppers now rely on video reviews, demonstrations, and creator-led content to validate purchase decisions, particularly for higher-consideration products.
Static product descriptions and polished studio photography no longer satisfy the need for authenticity and proof.
The Structural Gap: 95% of Video Is Unsearchable
Despite the surge in video creation, most retailers still treat video as a branding layer rather than performance infrastructure.
A core issue is that video content remains largely unstructured. Retailers may host multiple videos on a product detail page (PDP), yet shoppers cannot search within those videos for specific answers. They cannot jump directly to the five seconds that demonstrate durability, show a color variant, or address a common concern.
Bam explains that AI can now analyze video across dozens of dimensions, including speech, on-screen text, visual scenes, sentiment, objects, and brand safety markers. This process effectively “cracks open” video, turning it into structured, searchable data.
When video becomes indexed and searchable, it becomes actionable. And when it becomes actionable, it becomes measurable.
From Playback Asset to Adaptive Sales Engine
The evolution from passive playback to adaptive sales engine changes how retailers must think about content strategy.
Instead of asking whether a PDP has video, leading organizations are asking:
• What percentage of revenue is influenced by video?
• Which clips increase add-to-cart rates?
• How does video impact average order value (AOV)?
• What is the search-to-clip click-through rate?
• Which videos drive measurable conversion lift?
Vyrill’s framework centers on four operational pillars: capture licensed user-generated content (UGC) and reviews; curate with AI-driven brand safety filters; connect video to onsite search and PDPs with fast load times; and convert by attributing revenue to specific clips.
This closed-loop measurement aligns with broader industry emphasis on retail media attribution and performance analytics. As McKinsey & Company notes, personalization at scale can deliver revenue uplift of 5–15% and improve marketing efficiency by 10–30% when implemented effectively.
Searchable, structured video extends personalization deeper into the product experience itself.
Agentic Commerce and AI Discovery
The rise of AI-powered shopping agents and large language models introduces another layer of complexity.
Shopping agents increasingly evaluate product reviews, ratings, fulfillment speed, and content quality when making recommendations. If video remains unstructured, it becomes invisible to these systems.
Structured video content enhances “AI legibility,” enabling recommendation engines to surface relevant clips in response to nuanced queries. Retailers must now optimize not only for traditional search engines, but also for AI-driven discovery systems.
This shift toward agentic commerce reinforces the importance of video metadata, indexing, and real-time personalization.
Omnichannel Deployment Beyond the Website
The opportunity extends beyond ecommerce sites.
Searchable video can power retail media networks, mobile app modules, email personalization, and in-store digital screens. QR codes and smart shelf tags can unlock specific video reviews inside physical stores. Creator-led demos can loop on endcaps. Sponsored video placements can be dynamically targeted across channels.
In an omnichannel retail environment, video becomes connective tissue between digital discovery and physical purchase.
Retailers based in innovation ecosystems like Bentonville, Arkansas, where suppliers, agencies, and technology providers converge, are particularly positioned to test and scale these integrated strategies quickly.
Speed as Competitive Advantage
Technology alone will not determine winners. Organizational velocity matters.
Brands that treat video as core infrastructure test frequently, measure continuously, and iterate weekly. They do not rely solely on polished brand campaigns. Instead, they integrate authentic UGC, optimize for discoverability, and attribute performance at the clip level.
In contrast, organizations that delay implementation risk falling behind as video-led commerce becomes standard practice.
The Future of Retail Is Searchable, Shoppable, Accountable Video
Looking ahead, the lines between content, commerce, and AI will continue to blur. Discovery will increasingly begin in video-driven environments. Product evaluation will rely on authentic, indexed demonstrations. Conversion will be influenced by the precise moments that resolve shopper hesitation.
Video is no longer a marketing add-on. It is becoming the front door of digital commerce.
For retailers seeking competitive advantage in AI-driven, omnichannel ecosystems, the question is no longer whether to invest in video. It is whether their video strategy is searchable, safe, fast, shoppable, and accountable.
