This article was based on the interview with Featuring insights from Eitan Koter, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Vimmi by Greg Kihlström, AI and MarTech keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
What once passed for cutting-edge in e-commerce—clean product pages, well-lit photos, streamlined checkout—is already looking outdated. A new standard is emerging, driven by shoppable video, immersive technology, and AI-fueled personalization. It’s not just about making online shopping better. It’s about making it feel completely different.
Eitan Koter, co-founder and co-CEO of Vimmi, is helping to accelerate that shift. A two-decade veteran of the video space (from broadcast TV to SaaS), Koter now leads a platform that’s transforming how brands sell through video—integrating real-time purchasing, personalization, and immersive content directly into short- and long-form video experiences. In this conversation, he lays out the case for why shoppable video isn’t a trend—it’s the new foundation of commerce—and what brands need to do now to keep up.
The Rise of Shoppable Video: From Trend to Infrastructure
The concept is simple: video that lets you buy directly from the screen, without ever pausing the experience. Think QVC meets TikTok, with data-driven targeting and one-click checkout. As Koter explains, shoppable video has its roots in China’s live selling boom, but its Western evolution is pushing into every part of the funnel—on owned websites, social platforms, retail screens, and even live events.
“Video used to be lean-back,” Koter says. “Now it’s fully interactive. It’s where the brand meets the buyer in real time.”
The driver isn’t just engagement—it’s economics. Customer acquisition costs on platforms like Meta and Google have skyrocketed. As brands search for more efficient ways to convert interest into action, shoppable video offers a shortcut: high attention, low friction, and performance data baked into every click.
Crucially, this shift isn’t limited to social commerce. Yes, TikTok and Instagram are key discovery engines, but Koter’s clients are embedding shoppable video on their websites, in influencer feeds, even in retail stores via digital signage. The format can flex from 30-second short-form to multi-camera livestreams—and when done right, conversion rates can rise by 30% to 50%.
Personalization at Scale: Where AI Meets Authenticity
What makes video so powerful isn’t just its visual appeal—it’s the data it generates. Unlike static pages, video provides a firehose of behavioral signals: how long someone watches, where they click, when they drop off. Vimmi collects that data, feeds it into a recommendation engine, and then provides brands with guidance on everything from ideal video length to timing and messaging.
“We don’t just help you create videos,” Koter explains. “We help you create the right videos, with the right message, at the right moment.”
This is where AI enters the picture—not just as a content generator, but as an orchestrator of the customer journey. Brands are using AI to:
- Generate product-specific video variations with avatars or automated editing.
- Recommend the most effective video formats based on audience behavior.
- Segment customers and dynamically serve video content tailored to their preferences and place in the funnel.
- Reduce returns with AR try-ons and hyper-relevant video explanations.
And because most social platforms now favor video in their algorithms, this approach isn’t just good for conversion—it’s also a growth strategy.
But Koter is quick to point out: automation isn’t a replacement for authenticity. The most powerful videos often come from brand founders, team members, or micro-influencers who speak directly to camera in unscripted, relatable ways. This isn’t Hollywood production. It’s content with a pulse.
Immersive Commerce: What Comes After the Product Page
If shoppable video is the new storefront, immersive commerce is the new showroom. Koter sees a future where browsing becomes experiential—where customers “walk” through digital shelves, explore products in 360 degrees, and interact with content socially, even on shared screens. AR and VR aren’t just novelties here—they’re functional tools for lowering returns and deepening engagement.
“We’re at the beginning of a new kind of e-commerce,” he says. “Not transactional, but experiential.”
Brands like LVMH are already experimenting with virtual stores and 3D product displays. Meanwhile, innovations like CTV shopping and QR-triggered mobile checkout are starting to turn traditional television into a commerce platform. It’s early, but Koter sees signals everywhere—from Gen Z’s demand for interactive brand content to rising expectations for tailored digital environments.
Still, adoption lags in smaller businesses and midmarket brands—not because of skepticism, but bandwidth. Many are still catching up with video basics, let alone immersive AR product demos. The answer? Start small, build consistency, and let AI help scale content creation and testing over time.
Conclusion
E-commerce is rapidly moving from transactional efficiency to immersive experience—and video is leading the charge. Whether you’re launching on TikTok Shop or upgrading your website’s PDPs, the message is clear: static content is no longer enough. The brands that win in the next 12–24 months will be the ones that combine authenticity with interactivity, automation with human tone, and insight with experimentation.
As Eitan Koter puts it, “The balance of personal and automated is where the magic happens.”
And that balance is now a requirement, not a differentiator. For marketers still stuck in the old model of campaigns and catalogs, the opportunity is wide open—but not for long. Commerce is becoming content, and content is becoming conversion. The only question left is: will your next video just tell your story, or will it close the sale, too?
