John Lewis adopts AI shopping and TikTok Shop to match new shopping habits

John Lewis has launched AI-powered shopping features and kicked off a 90-day trial run on TikTok Shop. The moves are part of a larger push from the retailer to become one of the first in the UK to truly embrace digital-first shopping, including AI and social commerce. 

Shoppers will be able to browse and purchase John Lewis’ range on AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, where customers are increasingly discovering new products. 

Meanwhile, TikTok shoppers will be able to complete purchases directly from John Lewis without leaving the app.

John Lewis is the latest UK household name embracing new technology, signalling a shift in how shopping is increasingly happening outside of traditional online and offline stores. Small and medium-sized enterprises should be prepared to adapt accordingly.

AI and social media are dominating product discovery

John Lewis is meeting its customer base where they actually are, and increasingly, they’re asking for advice from AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

With its latest expansion, products will appear when customers search for ideas or ask for recommendations from AI. Eventually, “must-have items” could become shoppable through those apps too.

It’s a response to the rapidly evolving ways in which customers shop. Instead of looking directly at a retailer’s website, customers are now discovering products through third-party channels such as AI tools and social media. 

This means that a strong website alone may soon fall short of catching shoppers’ attention; retailers now need to solidify a presence where discovery actually happens. 

Social commerce becomes part of the mix

As of today (March 9), John Lewis’ product range is also available for purchase on TikTok Shop. 

The 90-day pilot is focused on curated beauty and gifting products ahead of Mother’s Day, including its popular beauty box and big-name brands such as Jo Malone, Augustinus Bader, and Estée Lauder.

Social commerce has been soaring in popularity, as TikTok and Instagram become primary channels for users discovering new products while scrolling, also driven partly by the rise of influencer marketing. But while yesterday’s social media users may have simply discovered a product on social media, today’s shoppers also want to instantly buy the content they see on screen. 

John Lewis has also announced that it will explore branching out into on-demand shopping with delivery platforms such as UberEats later this month, responding to a growing consumer desire for immediacy.

What this means for small retailers

When a mainstream, heritage retailer like John Lewis adopts new technology, it often signals where customer expectations are heading. 

If shoppers become used to discovering products and completing purchases directly within apps, sometimes with near-instant delivery, that experience can quickly become the benchmark. For smaller ecommerce stores, that means omnichannel expansion is likely to move from a nice-to-have to a basic standard.

If you haven’t broken into omnichannel retail yet, you don’t have to do it all at once. But here are some helpful pointers. 

The first major way in which new technology will change how we shop relates to product discovery. Customers may find products through AI assistants, social media or marketplaces before ever visiting a brand’s website. Ensuring you’re present on the platforms where your audience is spending its time is therefore crucial. 

The next step is exploring frictionless checkout options. This might mean making it possible for shoppers to click ‘buy’ from Instagram or TikTok Shop. As the easier it is to buy in just a few clicks, the less likely shoppers are to abandon the purchase. 

And lastly, this shift also connects closely with the rise of ‘agentic commerce’, where AI shopping bots help shoppers compare products and make decisions on their behalf. 

With this in mind, product data will become as important as tasteful copywriting and design, as AI search increasingly recommends products that also have clear descriptions, specifications and structured data.