Article 4 min read
Think back to our Scottish high streets in the early 2010s. I’m sure to most of us it was a lifetime ago,
however, it was a period of massive change. We saw beloved, long-standing shops struggle and, in many cases, disappear e.g. Borders, Comet, Staples, Maplin, House of Fraser, as shoppers flocked online. It was a stark lesson: adapt or get left behind.
Today, while many of us are focused on the day-to-day challenges of growing/scaling our businesses, a similar, quieter revolution is happening in the digital world. We built our online businesses on a simple, effective model: the digital catalogue. We took our products, put them on a website, and created a virtual version of a shop shelf. For years, this has been the bedrock of ecommerce in the UK.
But the ground is shifting beneath our feet. The traditional “catalogue” model is now facing its own 2010s moment. The very real danger is that if we don’t modernise, our bustling online stores could become the digital equivalent of those boarded-up shops we all remember from our Scottish town centres.
The new challengers reshaping Scottish ecommerce
So, what’s causing this change? Four powerful forces are reshaping how people shop online, pulling
customers away from traditional websites.
1. Agentic commerce
It sounds technical, but the idea is simple. More and more, people are using AI assistants (think OpenAI, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Siri, or the AI in your phone’s search bar) to do their shopping for them. Instead of browsing your website, a customer might just say, "Find me the best value, eco-friendly waterproof jacket". The AI agent doesn't care about your website's beautiful design. It hunts for data: specifications, price, and reviews. If your site isn't set up to be easily read by these agents, you become invisible.
2. Experiential commerce
When customers do choose to visit a website, they want more than a grid of products. They want an experience. Think about the high street shops that have thrived. They aren't just places to buy things; they're destinations offering workshops, expert advice, and a sense of community. Online, this means offering more than a transaction, like a virtual ‘try-on’ tool or a paint visualişer. People want to connect with your brand, not just your products.
3. Social commerce
Platforms like TikTok Shop have completely changed the game. Shopping is no longer a separate activity; it's blended with entertainment. Customers discover products through videos and live streams, buying directly in the app with a single click. This impulse-driven, community-led model bypasses the traditional customer journey of searching for and visiting your website.
4. The dominance of marketplaces
For millions, Amazon is the default starting point for any purchase. It's convenient, trusted, and fast. Now, with the introduction of its own AI shopping assistant, Rufus, Amazon is making its ecosystem even stickier. Competing with the sheer scale and efficiency of these marketplaces on a standalone catalogue website is a monumental challenge.
The precipice we’re all standing on
This isn't a far-off, futuristic concept; it's happening right now. The reliance on a digital catalogue makes businesses vulnerable. You end up competing on price in a race to the bottom, while AI agents, social platforms, and giant marketplaces hoover up customers. The risk is that your website traffic slowly dries up. The direct relationship you've built with your customers gets handed over to an intermediary. Your brand, which you've worked so hard to build, gets lost in a sea of data.
Just as our high streets had to reinvent themselves by focusing on experience and community, so too
must online businesses. We need to shift our thinking from being a simple 'destination' to buy, to being a 'source' of data for AI and an 'experience' for humans.
Don’t get left behind: The path forward for Scottish ecommerce
This is a pivotal moment and a massive opportunity for Scottish businesses ready to embrace the future. It's a chance to build stronger, more resilient businesses. But it requires a commitment to learning and upskilling. We need to understand how to make our businesses ‘agent-ready’ and how to create the immersive online experiences that customers are beginning to demand.
This article was written by Peter Mowforth, CEO, INDEZ.