AI didn't make my small brand smarter. It made it faster.
By Matt Anderson · September 26, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
AI didn't make my small brand smarter. It made it faster.
Here's the Tea 🫖 The thinking is still my job...
After 17 years in Amazon and e-commerce, I'm now testing my own advice with my own money at The Catnip Queen.
One brand. Four channels. Shopify, Amazon, eBay and TikTok, each with its own rules.
Here's what I've learned: AI commoditises execution, not judgement.
> Research that used to take five to seven days of spreadsheet work now takes hours.
> Channel specific listings take minutes.
> Ad copy testing, keyword gap analysis, Shopify SEO fixes. A lot of that used to sit behind an agency retainer. Done.
> But everyone now has the same tools and the same data.
So the listing isn't the differentiator anymore. Neither is the campaign.
What's left is knowing your customer, knowing why your brand exists, and having a point of view.
That's why the work at The Catnip Queen starts before the first prompt. Tone of voice rules.
What we say, what we never say, how we handle claims.
Rufus and COSMO make this matter even more on Amazon. They try to work out what a product is for and who it suits.
You can't keyword stuff your way into an AI's good opinion.
Know who you are before you open the tool.
Where is AI saving you the most time, and where does it still need a human at the wheel?
Proud to be featured in Startups Magazine today and read more about my journey below with AI (and lots of Cats).
#Ecommerce #AmazonSeller #AIMarketing #BrandStrategy