VC Partner Predicts the Next Billion-Dollar Brand - predictions - Future Commerce

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Episode notes

Maveron partner Natalie Dillon joins Brian and Alicia to challenge the consumer-collapse narrative: sentiment sits at post-9/11 lows while spending breaks records. Natalie sheds light on truths of today’s consumer, who is skeptical but continually shopping amid a cultural undertow where AI adoption stays surprisingly shallow, Gen Z turns skeptical, and analog living re-emerges as status. PLUS: Are cults the new future of commerce? Your Gen Z Consumer Is Busy Touching Grass Key takeaways: Shoppers reallocated rather than retreated. Stats show fewer purchases that are higher value and more intentional. AI adoption stays shallow, but health and wellness is the emerging opportunity, especially among consumers aged 35+. Gen Z, the presumed AI natives, skew most negative, fueling an analog revival. Costco remains the disciplined benchmark for marketing, merchandise, and customer experience.