How Merchants Can Prepare for the New Era of Product Discovery

In a world where customers are no longer knocking on your (online) door because they already know your name, how you’re discovered is everything. For independent merchants, especially small and midsize sellers, the old rules of product discovery (search + paid ads) are being rewritten. The rise of social shopping, creator-led recommendations, and artificial intelligence-powered answer engines is transforming the rules of engagement.

If you want to stay relevant, profitable and visible, you need more than just good SEO and well-targeted ads. You need to rethink merchandising, marketing and brand presence for discovery channels that are faster, more personalized, and more conversational than ever before. Here’s how you can get ahead.

1. Understand the New Discovery Landscape

• Social shopping is no longer niche. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts aren’t just content hosts, they’re showrooms. A growing number of purchases originate from social posts, user-generated stories, or shoppable content embedded in feeds or community groups.
• Creators and micro-influencers are gatekeepers. Consumers trust creators and peer recommendations more than polished ads. A shout-out from someone with 10,000 real followers can carry more purchase weight than a generic $5 CPM display ad.
• AI and answer engines pull products forward. With voice assistants, AI chat, and recommendation algorithms, customers expect products to appear when and how they ask, not just when they search for them. Google’s generative AI, Shopify’s AI product discovery tools, and others are building this expectation into norms.

2. How Merchants Should Adapt: Strategic Moves for Small and Midsize Sellers

• Rethink product content. It’s not enough for a listing to say what a product is; it needs to show why it matters. Enrich descriptions with context, stories and visuals that answer the kinds of questions people actually ask in conversational searches: “What’s the best budget version of this?” or “What should I buy for someone who … ” Lifestyle photos, customer reviews, and behind-the-scenes videos give algorithms more signals and consumers more confidence.
• Lean into creator partnerships. Today’s consumers trust peers and micro-influencers more than polished ads. A creator with 10,000 engaged followers can drive more qualified discovery than a national campaign. Independent merchants should prioritize authentic relationships with creators who align with their brand, offering collaboration and co-creation instead of just transactional sponsorships.
• Close the feedback loop. Discovery channels move fast, and what works this month might flop the next. That’s why merchants need to track not only clicks and return on ad spend, but also which posts, creators and content formats actually generate product views and conversions. Every comment, review, and drop-off point is feedback that should inform how you name, present, and merchandise your products.
• Optimize every platform touchpoint. If your product does surface in a TikTok shop, Instagram reel, or AI recommendation, but the path to purchase is clunky, you’ll lose the shopper. Merchants need to make sure their storefronts are fast, mobile-friendly, and equipped with shoppable features. Just as important, the brand identity should feel consistent across all discovery points — from a video on social to the product page itself.

3. Case Studies and Lessons

• A midsize beauty brand I worked with doubled conversion from social shopping in six months by shifting 30 percent of ad spend from broad interest targeting to creator partnerships and user-generated content. The move cost a bit more per view, but payback came significantly faster because discovery content built more trust and relevance.
• Another merchant increased average order value by adding “how-to” videos showing different ways to use a product, along with authentic reviews. The approach not only surfaced product pages more often via recommendation engines but also reduced return rates.

4. Getting Started: An Action Plan for Independent Merchants

• Pilot discovery channels. Choose one or two. For example, work with a creator, build shoppable content on Instagram or TikTok, or test product questions on AI or voice assistants.
• Build content that’s meant to be found. Think less about what you want to say and more about what your potential customer is asking, seeing or comparing — e.g., FAQs, user stories, images, community proof.
• Monitor metrics that matter. Not just cost per click or ROAS, but impressions from nonsearch channels, conversion rates from social/shop windows, repeat traffic from discovery content.
• Iterate fast. Use feedback (e.g., customer questions, comments, drop-offs) to refine visuals, descriptions, messaging. What works for discovery doesn’t always look like what works for search.

5. Why This is Non-Negotiable for Relevance and Growth

Discovery isn’t a nice-to-have layer anymore. It’s front line. Customers now discover brands through scrolling, chatting, watching, not going to “search, find, click.” The brands that win will be those that surface effortlessly in those moments. For independent merchants, that means being nimble, authentic and intentional. Adapt or disappear.

The new era of product discovery is rewriting the rulebook. Independent merchants that lean into creator partnerships, redefine content for conversational discovery, and build feedback loops to iterate on what works will not just survive, they’ll thrive.

Lior Pozin is the founder of AutoDS, a leading global drop-shipping platform that helps over 1 million sellers run successful e-commerce businesses.