Since taking the helm as CEO in September last year, Travis Hess has rebranded SaaS ecommerce platform BigCommerce to, simply, Commerce.
This change should unite the business’ three core products—BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift—and reposition it for the AI-driven future of retail, a shift Hess called “the most exciting movement in commerce in 20 years”.
Prior to joining, Hess was a managing director at Accenture, where he led its global direct-to-consumer commerce strategy and Shopify partnership. Now, he is setting up Commerce to be prepared for how AI and data are reshaping retail.
Why the rebrand?
“The previous brand name was named after one of our products, not all of them. We had three products and wanted a portfolio-oriented branding strategy with a name that best articulated the combination of those products, and how they work together now and in the future,” Hess said.
That led to adopting the category name itself. A “bold move,” but one that felt “appropriate given the shift in market and consumer behaviour,” Hess said.
Under its new name, it should be apparent to the market that it is more than an ecommerce platform and operates in the data, experience, and infrastructure realms.
Hess said he wanted to evolve the business without “painting themselves into a corner,” allowing the sub-brands to retain equity while unifying around a single strategic vision.
At the centre is Feedonomics, a data syndication engine powering product feeds. The product enables agentic discovery via AI models and engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot. These are rapidly shaping how consumers find and buy products online.
“Feedonomics is probably the most important product in market right now, particularly around agentic discovery,” Hess said.
“We’re taking some of the largest product catalogues in the world and syndicating that into the largest answer engines. That’s eventually going to lead to a new orchestration and shopping paradigm, and we’re in the prime position to support it.
“Longer term, you’ll probably see everything move under the Commerce brand. But we were careful not to jeopardise the equity in brands like Feedonomics, which have huge trust and recognition in market”.
That trust will matter as retailers reconcile what Hess describes as “the next great shift” in online retail, where customer experience is hyper-personalised, AI-assisted, and data-led.
“We’re entering a world where answer engines will know more about you than your best friend. They’ll remember every search, every purchase, every preference, and serve experiences that are completely bespoke,” Hess added.
The new storefront: where data meets AI
“The front door to the internet has changed. It’s now controlled by data. That data needs to be optimised and synthesised in both a structured and an unstructured way to go drive efficacy in this new world order,” Hess said.
Search behaviour is moving away from a Google search box into contextual conversations within answer engine, and those experiences are being driven by the quality of the data brands provide.
For retailers, this means the fundamentals are shifting quickly. AI engines are starting to digest both structured and unstructured data, with everything from product specs to fit guides, reviews, blog content and even call centre transcripts. The richer and cleaner that data, the more likely a brand is to appear in these new AI-driven discovery environments.
Retailers must adapt to the technology that’s already changing how consumers discover products. But Hess warns that many don’t have the systems in place to do so just yet. That’s where companies such as Commerce step in, giving brands a boost in the AI-driven retail space.
“We’re already working with brands to ensure their data is optimised and syndicated across every channel where customers want to discover and engage,” Hess said.
For Hess, the rapid rise of generative AI isn’t just another wave of marketing technology; it’s a structural reset for how commerce itself operates.
“This is the fastest adopted technology in human history, faster than smartphones, streaming, or social media. And it’s blending the skillsets of marketing and commerce. Data is driving everything,” Hess said.
Commerce’s goal is to help brands navigate that transformation safely. As answer engines evolve into shopping platforms with their own browsers, Hess predicts a shift toward new commercial models, from subscription-based access to potential revenue shares or marketplace-style discovery fees.
“Brands are understandably anxious. They’ve spent years perfecting their owned experiences and now need to think about how their brand shows up in environments they don’t control. Our job is to help them maintain that control, and to ensure their products appear in the right context, with the right brand integrity,” Hess said.
On the Horizon
For all the hype, Hess insists the agentic era isn’t about replacing retail experience; it’s about extending it through smarter systems.
“Discovery comes first. Then we’ll see innovation around order management, inventory visibility, and orchestration. It’s going to change everything – licensing models, operations, even how we define ‘commerce’ itself,” he said.
After two decades in the industry, Hess says this is the first time in years the space has felt truly alive again.
“It’s probably the most exciting time we’ve ever seen in commerce. For the first time in a long time, the technology isn’t just changing how people shop; it’s redefining what shopping is,” he said.
As brands figure out their next moves ahead of the agentic era, rethinking the customer journey is imperative to staying ahead.
