Scot Wingo knows a thing or two about e-commerce disruption. A dozen years ago, the longtime entrepreneur rode an earlier online shopping boom to an IPO for one of his previous software companies, ChannelAdvisor.
Now, he’s onto another e-commerce bet for the AI age after spending much of the past decade launching and running an on-demand car service business. His new company, ReFiBuy (an abbreviation of research, find, buy), aims to build software that helps consumer brands and retailers navigate a new online world where AI shopping agents make purchases as frequently as human customers do.
Fortune recently caught up with Wingo to discuss how generative AI and AI agents are disrupting online shopping, and how e-commerce powerhouses may be impacted by this moment. Not surprisingly, as someone attempting to build a big new business in the space, Wingo is perhaps more bullish than many about how soon and severely new AI shopping tools may disrupt existing e-commerce giants and legacy retailers alike.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Fortune: What did you see going on in e-commerce that made you want to get back into it?
