Shopflo Targets D2C Visibility Through AI Integration

At the TechSparks 2026 conference, Mihir Shah, Chief Business Officer at Shopflo by Pine Labs, addressed the growing shift in consumer habits. Shoppers are increasingly using AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude to discover products, moving beyond traditional search engines and social media channels.

Expanding Product Discovery

For direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, the rise of AI assistants presents a challenge: maintaining visibility without the resources to build dedicated in-house AI teams. Shopflo aims to bridge this gap through what it calls agentic commerce. This service connects a brand’s product catalog directly to AI-powered discovery platforms.

By streaming catalogue information to interfaces like ChatGPT, Shopflo enables shoppers to find relevant items through conversational queries. For example, a consumer searching for gifts within a specific price range can receive recommendations from participating brands. Through an integration with Pine Labs’ payment infrastructure, the system also supports transactional capabilities within these AI environments.

Shah stated that while AI visibility is becoming essential, it does not replace traditional search engine optimization, which remains a primary driver for website traffic.

AI Agents for Operational Efficiency

Beyond discovery, Shopflo is testing a tool called the Growth Orchestrator. This system is designed to synthesize performance data—such as conversion rates, customer retention, and profitability metrics—into actionable recommendations.

During a demonstration, the system identified a drop-off point in the checkout process and suggested a fee-transparency banner to improve conversion rates. Brands retain control over these agents, choosing which recommendations to approve and setting operational limits before scaling experiments.

Why it matters: As AI assistants increasingly act as shopping destinations, D2C brands must adapt their digital strategies to remain visible. This shift suggests that businesses operating in evolving retail markets, including those in the Middle East, may need to integrate their product data with AI platforms to reach modern consumers effectively.