The report highlights three major areas of change shaping the future of commerce. First, companies are moving away from monolithic storefronts in favor of agile, ecosystem-driven models. Second, AI is pushing brands to rethink customer interactions—potentially shifting product discovery to AI-driven interfaces. Finally, cloud infrastructure providers are playing a greater role, making strategic platform alignment even more critical.
For CTOs, the challenge isn’t just keeping up with disruption—it’s ensuring technology investments deliver rapid value. “They can’t afford to spend 18 months and a billion dollars replatforming,” Geheb notes. “There’s a need for enlightened, fast-moving CTOs to architect for faster value.”
According to the report, the most successful technology leaders are embracing a proof-of-concept approach while maintaining a clear vision of future needs. Rather than testing for the sake of disruption, they are aligning innovation with long-term strategic goals.
To explore more insights from VML and other enterprise leaders, download Shopify’s The Innovation Mindset report here.
