The Agentic Commerce Talent Gap: Why Agencies Need To Act Now

March 13, 2026

Agentic commerce is creating a hiring gap most Shopify agencies and brands have not even named yet

Over the last few months I have had a familiar set of conversations with Shopify agencies and Shopify merchants.

They are not really about tooling. They are about capability.

The question underneath most of them is this. If the buying journey is increasingly shaped by AI, and if more of the purchase flow starts to happen inside conversational interfaces, do we have the people in place who know how to build, run, and improve that world.

Most teams do not. Most agencies do not. And that gap is already showing up in hiring.

In the next 6 to 12 months, I think the winners will be the ones who treat this as a people and operating model shift, not a feature update.

The context, quickly, why this is happening

Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, developed with partners including Shopify, is part of a broader move toward agentic commerce. In plain English, it points to a world where customers express intent in an AI interface, and the purchase can be completed reliably without the same old loop of tabs, product pages and checkout friction.

That will not replace websites overnight, but it does change the centre of gravity. Discovery, decisioning, and even conversion can start to happen in places brands and agencies do not fully control today.

If that is true, then the most valuable work shifts upstream. Less time spent purely on building pages, more time spent on making product data, commercial logic, experience, and operations machine readable, consistent and optimised for intent based journeys.

That is why the talent problem matters more than the protocol itself.

The early signal we are already seeing in the market

This is not hypothetical for the Shopify ecosystem.

A UK agency and a Finnish agency, both Shopify focused, have told us they are struggling to find enough strong solutions consultants and lead consultants. These are the people who can translate client needs into platform decisions and delivery reality, and they are already in short supply.

A Shopify agency in the Netherlands has reached out asking how to build out an engineering team that is more AI savvy, more prompt focused, and capable of what they described as book ending AI, meaning engineers who can work effectively with AI tools while still owning quality, maintainability and outcomes.

On the merchant side, a UK Shopify agency asked for support hiring around AI strategy focused on CX and the customer front end, because their clients are asking the questions but nobody internally owns the answers.

All of that is a talent signal. The market is trying to staff for a shift that has not yet been formalised into neat job titles.

Gentian Shero, Co-Founder and CSO at Shero Commerce, put it well:

The biggest mistake I see right now is treating AI readiness as a technology problem. It is an operations and people problem. The merchants with clean data, clear ownership, and someone accountable for how AI fits into their commercial model will be ready when agentic commerce scales. Everyone else will be scrambling. For agencies, the question is simple: if your client’s customer never visits a website, where does your value sit? The ones building around data strategy, AI enablement, and commercial operations have a future. The ones still selling builds as the whole offer will have a problem.

The four role shapes that will matter most

These are not the only roles that will evolve, but if you are an agency founder, a delivery leader, or a merchant running a Shopify programme, these four shapes are the ones that stop this becoming a collection of disconnected experiments.

1. Agentic Commerce Lead, sometimes called AI Strategy Lead

What they do day to day They own the roadmap and the decisions. They decide what is being tested, why it matters commercially, and how it gets rolled out without breaking customer experience or operations. They align product, engineering, CX, and commercial teams so AI does not become everybody’s side project and nobody’s priority.

What backgrounds translate well You rarely find this person with a perfect title. They tend to come from digital product leadership, eCommerce leadership, strategy and consulting, platform partnerships, or strong solution consulting backgrounds where they have operated at the intersection of commercial goals and technology reality.

What a good job description actually focuses on Ownership, governance, prioritisation, and commercial outcomes. Not prompt engineering. Not an AI evangelist. Someone who can make decisions and bring people with them.

2. Product and Data Architect with an AI focus

What they do day to day They make the catalogue and commerce data usable for machines, not just humans. That includes product attributes, taxonomy, variants, availability, pricing logic, promotions, and the operational rules that sit behind the scenes. They also tend to be the person who stops AI initiatives failing because the underlying data is messy or inconsistent.

What backgrounds translate well PIM and MDM specialists, feed management, merchandising operations, ecommerce architecture, data product roles, CMS and DXP data heavy environments, and sometimes very strong platform engineers with a data leaning mindset.

What a good job description focuses on Structured data, catalogue health, commercial rules, integration awareness, and the ability to work with merchandisers and engineers equally well.

3. AI Experience and Conversation Designer

What they do day to day They shape how a brand appears inside AI driven journeys. They think about how customers ask questions, how products are surfaced, what the decision flow looks like, and how trust is built when the interface is not a traditional website. They also work closely with CX to make sure the experience is coherent from discovery through to support.

What backgrounds translate well UX content, service design, CRO leadership, lifecycle and CRM journey specialists, customer experience design, and anyone who has built guided selling experiences, quizzes, configurators, or complex assisted journeys.

What a good job description focuses on Decision journeys, clarity, trust signals, information design, and collaboration with CX and product.

4. Commercial Operations and Enablement Lead

What they do day to day They connect the strategy to reality. They make sure fulfilment, returns, customer service, and commercial reporting can cope with new buying behaviours. They also help answer the awkward questions about margin, performance measurement, and what success looks like when the old signals become less reliable.

What backgrounds translate well Trading and merchandising leads, revenue operations, commercial analytics, fulfilment operations leadership, customer operations, and people who have owned performance across multi channel commerce.

What a good job description focuses on Commercial ownership, operational coordination, performance measurement, and the ability to turn theory into repeatable execution.

The important point is that not every business needs to hire four net new people tomorrow. Plenty of organisations will evolve existing roles. The risk is simply having no clear ownership at all.

Where you actually find these people, because the titles do not exist yet

This is the part nobody talks about, but it is the practical blocker.

If you search for agentic commerce lead in most markets, you will not get a clean set of candidates. The way to hire for this is to recruit from adjacent backgrounds and hire for capability, then shape the role.

At Simply Commerce, we sit across Europe, the UK and the US with both contract and permanent talent pools, covering commerce, POS, CMS, PIM, and the wider DXP layer. We see where the transferable skills actually live because we are speaking to these people every day, not reading about them.

In practice, the best hires often come from solution consulting, product leadership, digital strategy, data heavy commerce and DXP roles, and commercial operations leadership. The mistake we see agencies make is hiring someone who can talk about AI, but cannot run a programme, influence stakeholders, or tie decisions back to commercial outcomes.

Another common mistake is assuming your engineering team will just absorb this naturally. Some engineers will, especially those already using AI tools responsibly. Many will not. You need a deliberate plan for capability building, not a hope based strategy.

What to do in the next 6 to 12 months

If you are a Shopify agency, I would focus on three things.

  • First, decide whether you want to lead on this with clients or react when they ask. That decision shapes your service roadmap and your hiring plan.
  • Second, build a readiness assessment offer. Something simple and repeatable that looks at data quality, commercial rules, operational constraints, and where AI driven journeys could realistically add value for your client base.
  • Third, invest in one or two of these role shapes early, even if you start with a fractional hire or a senior consultant. Waiting until clients demand it usually means you are hiring in a panic, and that is when you overpay and underhire.

If you are a merchant, the biggest win is clarity. Decide who owns this internally, clean up the basics, and make sure your partners can talk about more than storefronts and build projects. If your organisation cannot name who is accountable for AI commerce decisions, then you are not yet taking it seriously, even if you are running experiments.

Closing thoughts

UCP and agentic commerce will keep evolving, and nobody should pretend they can predict the exact timeline. What we can say with confidence is that the talent market is already moving, and agencies and merchants are already feeling the gaps.

The organisations that do well in the next 6 to 12 months will not be the ones who collect the most AI tools. They will be the ones who build the clearest ownership, hire for the right capabilities, and create teams that can turn a shift in interface into a shift in commercial performance.

Tim Roedel | Managing Director | Simply Commerce

With input from Gentian Shero at Shero Commerce: If you want to compare notes on what you are seeing, feel free to message Gentian or myself on LinkedIn

Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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When to Take the Mic in an Interview: Smart Questions That Matter

January 10, 2026

When it comes to interviews, most advice focuses on how to impress. How to answer questions. How to sell your experience. How to stand out. 

But if you only remember one thing, remember this: the questions to ask at the end of an interview are not a formality. They are your best opportunity to turn a polished job pitch into something real, so you can decide whether this move actually gives you what you are looking for. 

Because most people are not leaving a role for “something different”. They are leaving for something specific. Better progression. Proper training. A manager who does not disappear when it matters. Flexibility that exists in practice, not just in a policy document. A client scope that stretches you, or a platform roadmap you can genuinely influence. 

In 2026, with hiring increasingly shaped by automation and AI screening, asking smarter questions is also how you bring the process back to humans. SHRM has been clear that the hiring experience is under strain on both sides, and that the answer is not more speed, but more trust and judgement. That trust starts with real conversations, not rehearsed ones.  

What follows is a practical way to prepare questions that do not feel scripted, do not waste time, and actually help you make a confident decision.  

Stage 1: Get clear on your “why” before you get clever with questions 

Most end-of-interview questions fail because they are generic, not because they are “bad”. If you ask generic questions, you get generic answers, and you leave with vibes instead of evidence. 

Start here. What are your top three non-negotiables? 

For digital commerce roles, the usual drivers are: 

  • Progression and career scope 
  • Training, coaching, and feedback 
  • Culture and ways of working 
  • Flexibility and boundaries 
  • Team health and leadership 
  • Client scope, stakeholder access, and decision making 
  • Modern tools, realistic delivery, and technical debt (even in non-technical roles) 

Once you know your three, you can ask questions that are pointed without being awkward. 

Stage 2: Ask “evidence” questions, not “opinion” questions 

A good end-of-interview question does one of three things: 

  • 1 – Forces clarity on expectations 
  • 2 – Reveals how decisions actually get made 
  • 3 – Gives you a story, not a slogan 

A useful trick is to swap “Do you…” for “Can you give me an example of…” 

Instead of: “Do you support development?” 

Try: “Can you tell me about the last person who progressed from this team, and what enabled that step up?” 

Same topic, completely different answer.  

Stage 3: Use this short set of questions, picked by what you care about 

By the time you reach the end of an interview, the dynamic has usually shifted. The formal questioning is done, the pace has slowed, and the conversation often becomes more relaxed. This is exactly why the questions you ask here carry more weight than many people realise. 

How you ask matters as much as what you ask. These questions should feel curious, not confrontational. Calm, considered delivery signals confidence. Good eye contact, a steady pace and a willingness to listen all matter. You are not interrogating. You are sense-checking. 

A useful mindset is this: ask as someone imagining themselves in the role, not as someone trying to “win” the interview. Framing questions from that perspective naturally leads to better answers. 

You do not need to ask everything. Pick five or six questions that genuinely map back to your original reason for looking. Depth beats volume every time. 

Below are question sets you can draw from, depending on what matters most to you. 

1) Progression and scope 

(When you want growth, not just a change of scenery) 

  • “What does success look like in the first 90 days, and then by month 12?” 
  • “What would need to be true for someone in this role to earn a promotion here?” 
  • “Where have people in this role typically gone next?” 
  • “What tends to hold people back from progressing here?” 
  • “How much of progression is driven by performance versus timing or headcount?” 

Listen for specificity. Clear answers usually indicate a role that is understood internally, not one that has been created in a rush. 

2) Training, feedback and support 

(When development and learning are a key driver for your move) 

  • “How do you coach performance day to day, not just in review cycles?”
  • “If I joined and you noticed I was stuck after a few weeks, what would you do?”
  • “What does good performance feedback look like in this team?”
  • “Who would I learn the most from here, and how does that learning actually happen?”
  • “How do you balance delivery pressure with giving people time to develop?”

Strong teams can explain how learning fits into real work, not just formal programmes.  

3) Culture and ways of working 

(When environment and leadership style matter) 

  • “How do decisions get made when commercial and technical priorities clash?” 
  • “What behaviours tend to get rewarded here, and which do not?” 
  • “How does the team handle disagreement or challenge?” 
  • “What does leadership do when things do not go to plan?” 
  • “How would the team describe the culture during a difficult period, not a good one?” 

Pay attention not just to the answer, but to how comfortable the interviewer seems giving it.  

4) Flexibility and boundaries 

(When sustainability and balance are non-negotiable) 

  • “What does flexibility look like in practice over a typical month?” 
  • “How do you protect focus time and avoid meetings taking over?” 
  • “What happens when priorities collide or deadlines stack up?” 
  • “How do leaders here role-model healthy boundaries?” 
  • “When was the last time the team worked late or out of hours, and why?” 

Honest answers here often include examples, not absolutes.  

5) Client scope and stakeholder access 

(When influence and exposure are important) 

  • “Who are the key stakeholders I would need to win over?” 
  • “Where does this team sit when priorities shift?” 
  • “How visible is this role to senior leadership?” 
  • “What kind of stakeholder challenges should I expect in the first six months?” 
  • “Where does this role have the most influence, and where does it need to negotiate?” 

These questions help you understand whether you will be shaping decisions or simply receiving them.  

6) Risk, reality and what is not in the job description 

(When you want to avoid surprises) 

  • “What would make someone struggle in this role?” 
  • “What is still not working as well as you would like it to?” 
  • “What assumptions have been made about this hire that might not yet be tested?” 
  • “What would you change about the role if you could?” 
  • “What do you think will be the hardest part of this job in the first year?” 

These questions often surface the most useful insights of the entire interview. 

Stage 4: Close with one question that changes the dynamic 

If you have asked good questions, you have earned the right to ask a direct one. 

Try: 

“Is there anything you have seen today that makes you hesitate about my fit, so I can address it now?” 

This does two things. It gives you a chance to clarify. And it signals maturity, because you’re not waiting for feedback weeks later that you cannot act on. 

There is also a growing pattern in hiring where interviewers deliberately start by asking candidates to ask a question first, because it quickly reveals preparation and intent. You can use that same energy at the end, calmly and professionally.   

A final word on asking the right questions 

The end of an interview is not about filling silence or proving enthusiasm. It is about clarity.

A quick reality check after the call: 

  • Did they answer with examples, or principles? 
  • Could they explain priorities and trade offs, or did everything sound “fine”? 
  • Did you learn anything you could not have learned from the job description? 
  • Did the answers move you closer to your original “why”? 

 If you ask the right questions, calmly and with intent, you leave the conversation with something far more valuable than a good impression. You leave with information. Information about how decisions are made, how people are supported, how success is measured and whether the role genuinely aligns with what you are looking for next. 

Strong candidates do not rush this moment. They take it seriously because they understand that accepting the wrong role is far more costly than missing out on the right one. 

The best interviews feel balanced. Both sides leave having learned something. When that happens, even a “no” is useful, and a “yes” feels considered rather than reactive. 

If you walk out of an interview with more clarity than you had when you walked in, you have used that final question well. 

About Simply Commerce 

Simply Commerce is a specialist digital commerce recruitment partner. We work closely with candidates throughout the hiring process, helping them prepare; not just to secure an offer, but to make the right move. 

That means we actively coach candidates on how to assess roles properly, how to ask better questions in interviews, and how to sense-check what they are being told against the reality of the market. If you are considering a new role in digital commerce and want honest insight into culture, progression and long-term fit, we are always happy to have a conversation. 

 

 

Sources 

https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-trends/recruitment-is-broken 

https://www.businessinsider.com/ey-talent-leader-questions-you-should-ask-in-job-interview-2025-6 

https://www.businessinsider.com/question-recruiter-starts-job-interview-2025-7 

https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-07-31-gartner-survey-shows-just-26-percent-of-job-applicants-trust-ai-will-fairly-evaluate-them 

https://www.economist.com/business/2025/12/18/how-to-conduct-a-job-interview 

https://hbr.org/2025/11/are-you-interviewing-a-candidate-or-their-ai 

 

Written by:

Jess Semrau-Tolley

UK Manager

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Your Cart Is Fine; Your Duties Are Not: Why US Shoppers Panic At Checkout with Jamie Vaughan

January 7, 2026

Confused about what’s actually working in digital commerce right now?

You’re not alone. Between US conversion chaos, rising costs, and AI hype, it’s hard to tell what moves the needle and what’s just noise.

On this week’s episode of The FODcast, host Tim Roedel sits down with Jamie Vaughan, ex MD at Signifly, to cut through the chatter and get practical about what to fix first.

Here’s what we cover:

  • The “Donald effect” impacting US growth – and how to rebuild confidence through landed cost clarity and reassurance
  • Conversion that counts: prioritising high-impact experiments using RICE (Reach, Impact, Cost, Effort)
  • Life after cookies: why attribution and cohort analysis (with tools like Triple Whale) are now essentials
    Turning first-party data into your growth engine – not a last-ditch paid ads replacement
  • Plus, real examples, clear takeaways, and no fluff.

If you’re scaling, re-platforming, or rethinking your funnel for 2025, you’ll want to hear this one.

🎧 Listen now

 

Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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Compliance Is the Floor; Inclusion Is the Strategy with Hilary Stephenson

December 20, 2025

Accessibility isn’t a niche feature set; it’s the operating system of a fair and profitable digital world.

On this week’s episode of The FODcast, James sits down with Hilary Stephenson, Managing Director at Nexer Digital, to unpack how inclusive design drives growth, reduces risk, and builds trust across every customer journey.

In our chat, we cover a whole host of things, including:

  • The European Accessibility Act – what’s in scope, what deadlines matter, and why compliance is only the floor, not the ceiling
  • The biggest friction points in retail journeys – and how to turn them into wins through clear content, contrast, and keyboard-friendly design
  • What government digital services get right: co-design, testing with assistive tech, and radical transparency
  • How inclusive design and immersive commerce can coexist, and why heavy scripts, pop-ups, and “dark patterns” are just bad UX
  • The practical sequence to start today: set a baseline, “fix the six,” publish an honest accessibility statement, and keep testing

With more than 25 years in content, UX and inclusive service design, Hilary brings the experience of someone who’s helped make accessibility business-critical for leading brands and public sector organisations alike.

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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2025: The Year Digital Commerce Got Louder

December 20, 2025

As we head towards the end of the year, we’ve been reflecting on what has been a truly standout chapter for our podcast – The FODcast – The Future of Digital Commerce.

We’re now firmly into our 7th season, and 2025 has been a record-breaking year for the podcast – more listeners, more downloads, and more brilliant conversations than ever before. What started as a niche commerce podcast has grown into a genuinely global platform for digital, B2B, retail and transformation leaders. So, in the spirit of the season, we’re delighted to present…

The 12 Days of FODmas

Our Top 12 FODcast episodes of 2025, counting you down to Christmas, one standout conversation at a time.

Here are this year’s must-listen episodes:

  1. Revolutionising B2B E-Commerce – David Höck
    David, co-founder of Vendure, discusses how innovative composable commerce solutions and practical strategies are transforming B2B digital commerce. LISTEN HERE

  2. Platforming the Future: B2B’s Digital Commerce Revolution – Jochen Binder
     In this episode Jochen, Head of Backend and Data Solutions at diva-e, explores the evolving digital commerce platform landscape and how pragmatic, AI-influenced approaches are reshaping both B2B and B2C LISTEN HERE

  3. The Art of Haggling Meets AI – Rosie Bailey
    CEO of Nibble, Rosie, breaks down how AI-augmented negotiation and customer experience strategies are changing modern e-commerce LISTEN HERE

  4. Crafting Community in a Digital Age – Steve Irwin
    Steven Irwin of Vivobarefoot shares how purpose-driven community building and brand values can drive loyalty and sustainable growth in digital commerce LISTEN HERE

  5. When AGI Lands, Your Business Model Might Vanish – Daniel Hinderink
    We chat with Daniel about how AI, data sovereignty, and external forces are reshaping digital transformation strategies across sector LISTEN HERE

  6. The Future of Composable Commerce – SCAYLE
    We were joined by Craig Smith and Rico Adler for this great discussion on composable commerce platforms, scalability, and the practical benefits for growing digital businesses LISTEN HERE

  7. Why eCommerce Success Isn’t About Platform Choice – Matt Parkinson
    In this throwback from back in May, Matt debunks platform myths and focuses on practical, future-ready approaches that matter more than simply picking tech LISTEN HERE

  8. Physical Retail’s Vital Pulse: Why In-Store Still Matters – James O’Hare
    A topic that’s still as relevant today as it was in the early Summer, James O’Hare highlights how in-store experiences, unified commerce, and smarter tech are keeping physical retail relevant and impactful LISTEN HERE

  9. Prompts, Products, and Profits: The AI Revolution Nobody Saw Coming – Sander Berlinski Sander cuts through AI hype to explain how data foundations and intelligent automation are delivering real value today LISTEN HERE

  10. Turning Intuition into Growth – Martijn WijsmullerMartijn shares his journey from corporate to entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurial mindset and practical insights fuel e-commerce succes LISTEN HERE

  11. Pioneering New Paths in Digital B2B – David WilliamsDavid discusses how AI and emerging technologies are helping B2B organisations innovate and adapt in a shifting digital landscape LISTEN HERE

  12. The Future of E-Commerce: Gen Z, AI & Unified Retail – James Brooke
    James explores how Gen Z behaviours, AI-driven personalisation and unified retail thinking are shaping the future of commerce LISTEN HERE

Whether you’ve tuned in every week or missed a few along the way, this is the perfect opportunity to catch up on the conversations that defined digital commerce in 2025.

Did you know?

In 2025 alone, The FODcast has been streamed thousands of times this year across six continents and dozens of countries worldwide.

Alongside strong audiences across the UK, Europe and North America, we’ve also seen listeners tuning in from Angola, Nepal and Kazakhstan – proof that the conversation around digital commerce really is a global one!

Be Our Guest in 2026?

We’re already planning next year’s lineup and would love to hear from:

  •  Founders
  •  CTOs, CDOs & Product Leaders
  •  Commerce, B2B & AI innovators

If you’ve got a story to tell or insight to share, get in touch to join us on The FODcast. Thank you for listening, sharing, and supporting our podcast this last year. We’ll be back in 2026 with even more insight, challenge and conversation around the future of digital commerce.

In the meantime, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a successful New Year!

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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Key Takeaways from The NXT:Commerce Summit 2025: ‘Commerce in Motion’

November 19, 2025

Earlier this month James and I travelled to Amsterdam for the acclaimed (or at least consistently talked about) NXT Summit, and it genuinely felt worth stepping away from the desk for a couple of days. There is something grounding about hearing from people who are actually building, scaling and wrestling with the realities of modern commerce, and it gave us the headspace to think more deeply about the future of digital commerce, and what that means for the brands and clients that we work with.

NXT has a reputation for being practical, candid and less self-congratulatory than a lot of other events, and this year it delivered exactly that: real conversations, real examples and a very real sense of how fast things are shifting under our feet.

We heard everything from AI-driven shopping to grassroots brand building, to cross-border scaling headaches and the newfound importance of content operations. What follows is a summary of the themes that resonated most strongly, along with how these trends play out in the wider market and what they might mean for teams like ours and the brands we support.

AI and the Changing Rhythm of Modern Shopping

A defining topic throughout the summit was the role of AI in reshaping shopping behaviour. There was broad agreement that the pace of change is much faster than many organisations are prepared for, and that AI in its many forms is now deeply influencing the path to purchase. Speakers shared examples of brands experimenting with an integrated “AI button” that customers can tap to get sizing help, delivery advice or personalised product recommendations in real time. These tools are not about replacing human input but about making the customer journey smoother and more intuitive.

Internal AI use came up repeatedly too. From tagging to segmentation to categorisation, retailers are now leaning on AI to remove manual drag and free teams to focus on strategic or creative work. There was some concern that AI risks making brands sound generic, but most speakers took the view that the real magic happens when AI amplifies human creativity rather than diluting it.

This is backed by emerging market research. McKinsey has forecast that agentic commerce, where AI agents research, compare and even execute purchases on behalf of consumers, could unlock between three and five trillion dollars by 2030.

Salesforce has also revealed that the first half of 2025 saw a 128 percent monthly increase in retailer interactions with AI-powered tools and assistants, which shows just how quickly adoption is steepening.

Benchmarking and Market View

Across commerce, AI is no longer a novelty. It has moved decisively from a “nice to have” to a “must have” for customer experience, marketing automation, smarter search and genuinely personalised journeys. This shift is becoming particularly visible in areas such as conversational search, where brands that optimise their content for LLM visibility and agent-friendly discovery are already gaining a clear first-mover advantage.

At the same time, many organisations still feel uncertain about how to apply AI in ways that are sensible, safe and true to their brand. Guarding tone, protecting authenticity and avoiding generic outputs remain real concerns. The companies making the most meaningful progress are those approaching AI with intention and healthy scepticism, using it to enhance the human experience rather than replace it.

Brand, Community and Experience Taking Priority Over Technology Alone

Another strong theme was the renewed importance of brand and community, which many speakers argued is becoming more meaningful than the underlying tech itself. We heard examples of brands such as OBEY, and Corteiz leading with culture, opinion and community rather than product or platform. The story of Corteiz swapping old jackets for new ones and then donating the originals to the homeless was mentioned multiple times because it demonstrated how powerful simple, values-driven ideas can be when shared by a connected community.

There was also a strong prediction that 2026 will be a reset year for many businesses. Rather than endlessly adding new systems and tools, brands will start simplifying their tech stacks, making more strategic use of the data they already have and reconnecting with the heart of their brand. Loyalty programmes, limited editions, community-specific drops, user testing and real customer conversations were highlighted as core ingredients of brand-first growth. TikTok Live and TikTok Shop were also described as significant touchpoints, especially for younger demographics.

This shift aligns with broader industry moves. Technology is becoming more standardised and easier to implement, so the strongest differentiator is now the expression of brand identity and the sense of community that surrounds it. Social commerce continues to grow, and live and creator-led channels are shifting from experimental to essential. 

Cross-Border Growth, Marketplaces and the Realities of Scaling

The final theme that really stood out focused on the operational complexity of scaling in a cross-border world. The session titled “From Drop to Doorstep” offered a frank look at the friction brands face when expanding into multiple countries. De minimis duty thresholds, import transparency and customer communication came up frequently, with several brands choosing to shift towards B2B2C models as a workaround for tax or logistics barriers.

One of the most discussed examples was a marketplace migration to Shopify involving a catalogue of over two hundred thousand products, combined with Algolia for search and scale. It sparked a healthy debate about whether Shopify can truly support enterprise complexity. The conclusion from the speakers who lived through it was that Shopify absolutely can do it, but only when the implementation team is experienced, aligned and realistic about standards and governance.

Shopify’s own October 2025 analysis supports this, outlining how B2B commerce, global expansion and data-centred experience design have become major growth drivers for enterprise-level brands.

The discussion then shifted to content operations, with many brands now experimenting with more structured content systems to ensure consistency across channels. The message was encouraging but cautious. These systems can deliver enormous value, but some tools still feel early and risk flattening brand tone unless teams handle them carefully.

All of this reinforces a broader market pattern where businesses move away from costly, monolithic platforms in favour of lighter, modular stacks that scale with them. The complexity of multi-market operations, marketplaces and hybrid business models is increasing, and the more unified and rationalised the stack, the easier it becomes to scale effectively.

 

Closing Thoughts

What struck us most about the NXT Summit was how grounded the conversations were. The genuine future of digital commerce is not going to be defined by technology alone, nor by brand creativity on its own. It will be shaped in the space where the two meet. It will be built by teams that use technology to enable better ideas, not replace them, and by brands that understand why people connect with them in the first place.

For teams like ours, and for the businesses we support, the opportunity now is to decide where to lean into this shift. Combining thoughtful technology choices with strong brand identity and efficient operational systems will put any organisation in a far better position to navigate the next wave of change with clarity and confidence.

Simply Commerce is a specialist in technology recruitment and consulting across commerce, digital and data. If you’re scaling your tech team and need deeper insight or access to talent, we can help.

Written by:

Tim Roedel

CEO

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Inside the Factory of the Future: Food Manufacturing Tech in 2025

October 1, 2025

There’s another transformation unfolding in food and drink, this time behind the scenes. While consumers see new products, faster delivery and greener labels, the real shift is happening inside the factory.

Advances in food manufacturing tech are quietly rewriting how products are made, from smart factories powered by automation to AI tools cutting waste and re-shaping supply chains.

In our recent Food and Drink Digital Transformation blog, we explored how commerce and consumer experiences are being reinvented. Here, we turn to the factory floor –  the less visible but equally vital side of the story – to look at the technologies, investments and strategies redefining how food is produced, packaged and delivered in 2025 and beyond.

1. Automation and the Smart Factory

Automation is no longer an optional upgrade but a structural shift. Robots, IoT sensors and AI-powered systems are being woven into production lines to reduce downtime, improve yield and bring real-time visibility to operations. The latest wave of food manufacturing tech is enabling factories to adapt quickly to changing orders, predict maintenance before breakdowns occur, and model scenarios digitally before making costly physical adjustments.

Investment across the UK reflects this momentum. Marks & Spencer announced in August a £340 million fully automated distribution centre in Daventry, scheduled to open in 2029, equipped with robotics, automated cranes and advanced supply chain systems. Meanwhile, Pladis, the owner of McVitie’s, is investing £68 million in modernising UK factories, installing new chocolate moulding lines and ovens designed to cut 876 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. These projects illustrate how automation is now directly tied to both efficiency and sustainability.

 

2. Innovation Shaped by Consumers

Consumer demand has become the strongest driver of change. Shifting tastes toward plant-based diets, reduced sugar and protein-enriched products mean manufacturers must reformulate and launch faster than ever. Food manufacturing tech is central to this agility, helping companies analyse social trends, optimise recipes, and run smaller, more flexible production batches.

A good example comes from Nestlé’s AI trial with Zest, which reduced surplus edible waste by almost 87 per cent in two weeks at a UK site. Beyond the sustainability benefits, this freed capacity and resources for innovation, showing how AI can shorten product development cycles. With social platforms dictating the pace of food trends, such responsiveness is now a competitive necessity.

 

3. Sustainability and Compliance

In most sectors, it’s fair to say that sustainability has become inseparable from brand value. Stricter UK and EU regulations are demanding traceability, carbon reduction and more transparent labelling, while retailers and consumers are rewarding those who can demonstrate genuine progress. Food manufacturing tech is helping meet these requirements through advanced monitoring systems, energy tracking, and smart packaging innovations that extend shelf life and reduce waste.

The investments by Pladis highlight how sustainability is increasingly embedded in tech-led upgrades rather than bolted on afterwards. By integrating modern ovens and systems that reduce energy use, the company is aligning compliance obligations with cost savings (and reputational gains).

 

4. Supply Chain Resilience

Food manufacturing tech also extends into the supply chain, where resilience has become a strategic priority. The disruptions of recent years (geopolitical shocks, inflation and climate volatility) have forced manufacturers to rethink how they manage procurement and logistics.

According to Rockwell Automation’s 2025 report, over half of UK manufacturers are now using AI or machine learning in production, often applying it to demand forecasting and risk modelling. Tools like predictive analytics and digital twins are making it possible to anticipate shortages, model alternative sourcing scenarios and optimise stock levels in real time. Even Nestlé’s AI waste project shows how smarter factory systems can strengthen the wider supply chain, reducing unnecessary transport and downstream inefficiencies.

 

5. What to Watch Next (2026–2028)

The next wave of food manufacturing tech isn’t science fiction – it’s already in motion, with pilots moving steadily towards commercial adoption. Over the next three years, four areas in particular are set to gather pace:

  • Generative AI in product development
    Advances in AI are beginning to move from analytics into creation. Generative AI systems are being designed to suggest recipes, optimise ingredient substitutions and support reformulation in response to shifting consumer demand. This technology promises to shorten innovation cycles, reduce reliance on volatile commodities and make product portfolios more responsive to trends.
  • Edge computing on the factory floor
    Instead of sending all production data to the cloud, manufacturers are turning to edge computing to process information locally, right where it is generated. This enables faster responses, supports predictive maintenance and opens the door to more autonomous production lines, where machines can self-adjust in real time.
  • Blockchain for traceability and compliance
    The ability to prove provenance and monitor compliance across increasingly complex supply chains is becoming a commercial imperative. Blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies are moving beyond pilots into practical deployment, giving manufacturers and retailers the assurance of transparency from farm to fork.

These innovations are not speculative either – they build directly on the investments and infrastructure already being made today, and by 2028 many will no longer be experiments but standard expectations across the sector.

 

Final Thoughts

Food manufacturing tech is now the engine of resilience and growth, not just a toolkit for efficiency. The sector’s leading players – from M&S to Pladis and Nestlé – are proving that automation, AI and sustainability investments bring both operational benefits and competitive advantage.

The challenge for manufacturers is to treat these advances as part of a wider transformation, rather than isolated upgrades. Those who can integrate smart factories, respond rapidly to consumer trends, embed sustainability into production and strengthen supply chains will not only weather uncertainty but also set the pace for the industry.

Food manufacturing has always been about scale and safety. In 2025 and beyond, it will increasingly be about agility, transparency and trust, and the companies who harness technology most effectively will be the ones to lead.

Simply Commerce is a specialist in technology recruitment and consulting across commerce, digital and data. If you’re scaling your tech team and need deeper insight or access to talent, we can help.

Written by:

Josie Stanton

Contract Team Lead- Senior Appointments

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Beyond the Basket: How Digital Commerce Is Reinventing UK Food & Beverage

September 4, 2025

There’s a subtle revolution unfolding across the UK’s food and beverage landscape. While boardrooms remain focused on margins and supply chains, the real transformation quietly reshaping the sector is happening within digital product teams; those cross-functional groups blending strategy, tech, and consumer insight to meet expectations head-on.

Executive Summary

UK food and drink companies face intensified pressure: consumer tastes are shifting fast, digital channels are redefining convenience, and supply chains remain fragile. To keep pace, businesses are moving away from occasional digital projects and instead investing in integrated, agile teams capable of pivoting operations, delighting consumers, and proactively growing market share.

Why the Pressure Is Increasing

Three developments are changing the rules:

  1. Changing Tastes Outpace Traditional PlanningA 2025 report reveals that 33% of UK food and drink manufacturers identify shifting consumer preferences as their biggest external challenge, surpassing inflation and regulation.
  2. Margin Squeeze Meets Digital ExpectationGrocery sales may be up 5% in early 2025 – but that gain comes from inflation, not volume. Consumers demand swift, affordable experiences. Asda’s £1 billion “Project Future” IT overhaul underscores this urgency, enhancing digital ordering, search, and delivery tracking. But it’s also caused temporary disruptions that highlighted just how mission-critical a reliable digital infrastructure has become.
  3. Digital Visibility Remains a BottleneckAlthough cloud and purpose-built systems promise agility, many F&B firms are still navigating legacy ERP landscapes. The shift to cloud – as a foundational, not accessory, strategy – is crucial.

Four Pillars of Digital Maturity in F&B

Across leading businesses, four pillars are forming the backbone of modern food and drink commerce:

  1. Digitising from Production to Plate 

    Moving ERPs to the cloud is table stakes; modernising every workflow – from ingredient forecasting to omnichannel fulfilment – is what real transformation looks like.

  2. Removing Friction from Delivery Experiences 

    Online grocery innovations like real-time tracking and predictive replenishment are nothing short of battlefield tactics in 2025, especially post Project Future.

  3. Staying Ahead of Food Trends 

    Fast-moving brands are tapping AI and trend analysis tools to turn social media’s next big food craze into swift test-and-scale campaigns.

  4. Operationalising Sustainability and Traceability 

    Consumers now expect to trace their food back to its origins. For example, seafood ventures led by chefs like Mitch Tonks jumped from boat-to-door digital platforms during Covid. And, even now, continue growing through traceability and direct engagement with end consumers.

What This Means for Consumers

Transformation isn’t about flashy tech, as with most things, it’s about experiences:

  • Trend hits hit shelves in days, not months
  • Next-level delivery reliability, even amid peak demand
  • Meal suggestions picked up from browsing habits or diet preferences
  • Traceable, sustainable labelling visible right at checkout

These experiences are the result of long-lived product teams working across supply chain, tech, marketing, and compliance, not isolated IT projects.

The Business Case for Product-Led Teams

Modernising food and beverage through product-led structures isn’t about chasing the latest technology fad; it’s about creating tangible commercial return. Agile planning gives companies the ability to adjust production in near real time, cutting down waste and squeezing better margins from leaner operations. Trend-responsive teams, plugged into live data and social signals, are seizing market share by capitalising on consumer fads before they fade. And the brands that can demonstrate traceability and sustainability throughout their supply chains are building not just loyalty, but also premium positioning in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

More than ever, food and beverage CEOs are recognising that fast, product-focused commerce isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s the engine of resilience and growth.

The People Behind the Transformation

None of this is driven by platforms alone. The real shift comes from people; the product leaders agile enough to launch a TikTok-inspired promotion in days rather than months, and the engineers who can weave together POS systems with supply-chain APIs to make it happen. Data scientists are taking centre stage too, modelling spoilage rates, predicting demand spikes, and even optimising delivery routes to reduce costs and emissions. Alongside them, UX designers and sustainability specialists are shaping customer journeys that don’t just make buying easier, but also foster trust through transparency and purpose.

These multi-disciplinary squads are no longer judged purely on whether they hit deadlines; they’re measured by impact. From higher conversion and larger basket sizes to stronger retention and reduced waste. In a sector where margins are tight and consumer loyalty is fleeting, those outcomes matter far more than the delivery of any one project.

What’s Next (2026–2028)

Looking ahead, the innovations on the horizon feel less like science fiction and more like inevitable extensions of what’s already in play. Generative AI systems are being developed to suggest recipes based on the contents of your fridge, linking meal planning directly to commerce platforms. Smart packaging is emerging that can detect spoilage and trigger a discount or replenishment order automatically. E-commerce dashboards are evolving too, moving beyond price and promotions to surface carbon footprints, provenance, and ethical sourcing data alongside product details. And the very idea of “food as a service” is gaining traction, with subscription-based models, recipe-driven commerce, and flash-sale meal kits entering the mainstream.

These innovations won’t come from isolated R&D labs. They’ll be delivered by agile product teams iterating daily on user feedback, translating technology into experiences that resonate with consumers and generate measurable business value.

Final Thoughts

At Simply Commerce, we know that transformation isn’t about installing new software — it’s about assembling the teams that make commerce seamless. Whether you’re a heritage coffee brand modernising operations or a fast-growth meal-kit business competing on convenience, digital product capability is no longer optional. It is the competitive edge.

The question for leaders is simple: do you have the right mix of product thinking, technical expertise, and commercial focus within your teams? Because in food and beverage, those who can shape commerce at pace, on trend, and with purpose won’t just keep up with consumer demand. They’ll define the future of the sector.

Written by:

Josie Stanton

Contract Team Lead- Senior Appointments

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Precision, Personalisation, People: How Digital Product Teams Are Reinventing UK Insurance

August 14, 2025

There has been a subtle yet powerful shift across the UK insurance sector. While much of the conversation continues around regulatory changes, claims ratios, and financial performance, true strategic innovation is happening quietly, led by digital product teams.

Executive Summary 

In 2025, UK insurers face increasing pressure: aging tech stacks, demands for real-time personalisation, and rising competition from Insurtech disruptors. To compete, firms are reimagining their structure. Long-lived, cross-functional digital product teams ,  combining product, engineering, data, UX, and compliance ,  are replacing project-based IT silos. These teams are not only building modern platforms, they are defining customer experiences, accelerating innovation and shaping business models fit for the digital age. 

Why This Shift Is Now Critical 

Three forces are reshaping the insurance landscape: 

  1. First, legacy digital infrastructure is unsustainable. Allianz UK has announced the elimination of 650 roles as part of a dramatic restructuring—despite reporting a 52% rise in operating profit (£368m). The insurer plans to reinvest heavily in digital, aiming to simplify operations, strengthen pricing capability, and deliver future-ready platforms. (Insurance Times). 
  2. Second, consumers expect instant, mobile, first experiences. A 2025 review of Insurtech trends underscores AI, driven quoting, claims automation, and embedded policies as the new normal—pushing incumbents to modernise fast or risk losing relevance. (Fintech Times). 
  3. Third, generative AI and automation are upending traditional operations—from underwriting to claims. Deloitte analysts warn legacy systems and poor data integration now pose key barriers to transformation. (Deloitte/WSJ) 

The Four Pillars of Modern Insurance Commerce 

Across the UK and Europe, insurance leaders are building digital maturity around four strategic pillars: 

AI-powered Claims and Underwriting 

Tools like Tractable’s computer vision AI are enabling near real-time damage assessment and claims decisioning, reducing operational burdens and accelerating payouts.  

Personalised Pricing 

Usage-based and telematics policies, powered by granular customer data, are transforming risk models. But with personalisation comes regulatory scrutiny – especially around fairness and transparency. (Wolters Kluwer). 

Embedded Interfaces & API Platforms 

Forward-thinking insurers are delivering insurance at point, of, sale—from bookings to retail—via API, first platforms, favoured by product-led teams. 

Intelligent Self, Service 

Claim portals and AI-powered chatbots now resolve routine queries autonomously, improving efficiency and freeing human teams for higher value interactions (Davies Group). 

How This Affects Policyholders 

The impact of these changes is tangible at every touchpoint: 

  • Unified experiences. Whether quoting, purchasing or navigating a claim, customers no longer tolerate disjointed journeys across digital and offline channels. 
  • Real-time personalisation. AI-powered assistants now recommend policy changes or upgrades—based on usage and lifecycle data—with far greater contextual relevance. 
  • Claims in minutes. Instead of waiting days or weeks, simple claims are closed in hours using image-based assessments and automated decision-making. 
  • Embedded loyalty. Policyholders receive proactive prompts, like weather warnings or safe driving bundles—delivered contextually through the product lifecycle. 

These experiences are not designed by matrixed IT functions. They are governed, iterated, and refined by dedicated product teams with real-time feedback loops. 

The Commercial Imperative 

The business case for investing in modern, product-led teams is growing stronger by the month. According to a 2025 analysis by BCG, insurers embracing digital product strategies have the potential to cut claims costs by up to 20%, accelerate resolution times by 50%, and boost customer satisfaction through improved Net Promoter Scores (BCG). 

This isn’t theory. It’s already happening. Allianz UK, for example, is investing £200 million annually in digital transformation as part of a wider strategy to streamline operations and reduce complexity across its UK business units (Insurtech Digital). 

At a national level, the UK government’s 2025 AI Growth Plan signals strong intent to accelerate innovation in insurance. With a focus on supporting emerging Insurtech partnerships, the plan positions AI as a core lever for transformation across underwriting, claims, and customer experience (InsurtechInsights). 

Together, these forces point to one conclusion: insurers that invest in modern product talent and evolve their operating models will not only improve agility and reduce cost but also strengthen loyalty in a market where expectations have never been higher. 

The Talent Behind the Transformation 

Digital transformation in insurance isn’t just about platforms or AI models. It’s about the people who bring those systems to life, and the operating models that support them. 

Today’s product leads are expected to combine entrepreneurial vision with regulatory fluency. They must navigate compliance constraints while still delivering fast, iterative value to users. Engineers, too, are evolving. Full-stack teams are building modular front ends that connect seamlessly – often via APIs – to legacy systems still critical to core operations. 

Behind the scenes, data scientists and machine learning engineers are operationalising underwriting models, flagging anomalies, and automating fraud detection at scale. At the same time, UX designers, compliance experts and operational analysts are working side by side to balance customer experience with governance and business performance. 

This shift isn’t just structural, it’s cultural. Across the market, insurers are moving away from short-term project-based delivery toward long-lived, multidisciplinary squads. These product teams are now benchmarked against digital-native norms, held accountable for outcomes like retention, claims resolution rates, conversion, and FTE cost efficiency. 

As Deloitte succinctly puts it: without the right digital talent in place, even the most ambitious tech strategy risks becoming an exercise in financial waste, not performance (Deloitte via WSJ). 

What’s Next: 2026–2028 

Looking ahead, the next wave of insurance innovation will be driven by teams that move fast, measure relentlessly, and learn in real time. 

By 2026, we expect to see: 

  • Generative AI powering quote generation and product upgrades, based on real-time user intent. 
  • Embedded insurance flows seamlessly integrated into retail, wellness, or mobility ecosystems. 
  • Behaviour-linked dashboards using smart home or wearable data to shape pricing in real time. 
  • Sustainability scoring woven directly into policy journeys, helping consumers understand and reduce their carbon footprint as part of their cover. 

What’s notable is not just the tech – but where it’s being built. These aren’t IT-led rollouts. They’re the output of agile product squads, iterating quickly based on user feedback, commercial performance, and a changing regulatory landscape. 

Final Thoughts 

At Simply Commerce, we work with insurers, insurtechs and platform partners to build the teams that power real transformation. Not just developers or product owners, but end-to-end squads who can iterate fast, navigate regulation, and deliver impact sustainably. 

Insurance innovation doesn’t come from buying off-the-shelf tools. It comes from investing in people – people who can ship meaningful products, at pace, with purpose. 

So, the question is: does your team have the product mindset, AI fluency, and commercial agility to lead from the front? 

Written by:

Josie Stanton

Contract Team Lead- Senior Appointments

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The Seven-Year Shift: How Digital Commerce Teams Left Projects Behind

July 18, 2025

Over the last five years, digital commerce product teams have undergone a quiet revolution. Teams that were once built around fixed-scope projects have evolved into long-lived, product-focused squads. For organisations serious about agility and customer experience, this hasn’t been a gradual drift – it’s been a deliberate pivot.

 

At Simply Commerce, we’ve seen first-hand how delivery models, team structures, and hiring expectations have all shifted. Today’s leading businesses aren’t measuring success by deadlines and budgets. They’re tracking product adoption, customer satisfaction, and long-term resilience. And as this shift plays out, it’s reshaping the way people work, the roles that matter, and the qualities that define a standout hire.

 

The Decline of the Traditional Project

Back in 2019, most engineering work was still structured around projects. Teams would form, deliver against a static set of requirements, and then disband. Budgets were approved annually, and departments operated in silos – development, QA, ops – each with its own agenda and priorities.

That picture looks very different today. The leading approach now is continuous value delivery, where long-lived, cross-functional squads are responsible for the end-to-end health of a product. These teams don’t just build features; they evolve services over time, guided by real user data and live performance metrics.

This isn’t just theory either. According to Gartner, 80 percent of large engineering organisations will have adopted internal platform-as-a-product models by 2026 – up from just 45 percent in 2022. But while the model is catching on, it’s not always easy to implement. The 2023 Project-to-Product report by Team Topologies revealed that only 2 percent of organisations had fully matured in this space. Culture, more than tooling, continues to be the hardest thing to change.

 

How Teams Are Built Has Changed

With the rise of product-led delivery, the anatomy of software teams has changed too. Where once you’d find rigidly defined roles and clear lines between departments, today’s high-performing teams are flatter, more integrated, and much more autonomous.

Full-stack engineers now work shoulder-to-shoulder with QA, DevOps, and platform specialists. Funding models have adapted too. Instead of ring-fenced annual budgets, many teams receive ongoing investment tied to real-world impact – things like customer retention, NPS scores, and adoption metrics.

A lot of this shift has been influenced by the thinking behind Team Topologies, which championed the use of platform and enablement teams. These groups focus on internal developer experience and compliance, helping product teams move faster without being bogged down by infrastructure or red tape.

 

Front-End and Full-Stack Roles Are in Demand

One of the clearest shifts in hiring over the past couple of years has been the rising demand for engineers who can work across the stack. In particular, front-end and full-stack roles have surged, often outpacing traditional back-end requirements.

This change reflects a broader truth about today’s digital commerce landscape: the front-end matters more than ever. Whether customers are shopping, browsing or returning an item, every click is compared to best-in-class experiences from the likes of TikTok, Airbnb, and Figma. That bar has risen fast, and businesses are investing in the skills that help them meet it.

React remains the dominant framework in most enterprise environments, but newer tools like Astro, Svelte, and Solid are pushing things forward in terms of performance and developer ergonomics. Serverless platforms such as Vercel and Cloudflare Workers are also reducing the need for heavy back-end infrastructure, which means developers with front-end fluency and API integration experience are increasingly valuable.

We’re seeing this play out in our own data too. Across Simply Commerce roles in 2024 and 2025, front-end and full-stack engineers consistently make up the bulk of new vacancies, particularly in businesses moving to headless or composable architectures.

 

A Flatter Structure, Fewer Layers

Alongside technical change, many large organisations are rethinking their management structures.

Over the last 18 months, companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all cut layers of middle management. Microsoft’s restructure in May 2025, for example, saw more than 6,000 roles removed in a bid to streamline reporting lines and widen manager spans of control.

For product squads, this has meant fewer approval gates and quicker decision-making. But it also means senior engineers are taking on more leadership responsibilities; mentoring team members, supporting delivery, and handling stakeholder engagement. The traditional team lead has evolved into a more strategic, hybrid role.

This isn’t about removing leadership altogether. It’s about shifting it closer to the work. In many teams, the most effective leaders are those who combine technical depth with soft skills and a strong product mindset.

 

What About the Back-End?

It would be easy to assume that back-end roles are in decline, but the reality is more nuanced. There’s still strong demand for engineers who can manage complex domains like payments, data pipelines, and real-time analytics. What’s changed is that generic CRUD-based work is increasingly being absorbed by platforms and managed services.

Engineers working in back-end environments today are often wearing additional hats – platform, data engineering, or infrastructure – rather than building isolated microservices. The work is more specialised, and often more strategic.

 

AI, Agent Assistants, and What’s Next

No conversation about delivery trends is complete without mentioning AI. Over the past 18 months, generative tools have moved from novelty to necessity. GitHub Copilot, Google Gemini, and similar products are now part of daily workflows across enterprise teams.

In fact, Google has said that over 25 percent of its new code is now AI-generated. Within the startup ecosystem, the figure is even higher. Y Combinator reports that 25 percent of its Winter 2025 cohort are generating more than 95 percent of their code using AI.

The implications for teams are significant. In the next two to three years, we expect most product squads to be supported by agent “sidekicks” – AI tools that can open pull requests, triage bugs, and run automated tests. These agents won’t replace engineers, but they will reshape the work engineers do. Governance, ethics, and quality assurance will take centre stage as more of the mechanical work is automated.

And as these tools mature, they may further reduce the need for manual reporting and coordination – accelerating the trend towards flatter, faster teams.

 

What This Means for Hiring

These changes have real implications for how teams are built and how people are hired. Technical versatility is more valuable than ever. Engineers who can flex across disciplines, especially front-end, platform and infrastructure, are commanding premium salaries. Hays recently listed platform engineers among the top ten roles for salary growth in the UK, with a median of £80,000 in London in 2025.

Soft skills also matter more. In flatter structures, engineers often step into mentoring and decision-making roles earlier. Product thinking has become a baseline expectation, not a niche skill. And fluency with AI tooling is fast becoming a requirement, not an advantage.

For hiring managers, this means looking beyond CVs and job titles. The best candidates may not come with a traditional path, but they’ll have the adaptability and mindset to thrive in modern delivery environments.

 

Final Thoughts

What we’ve seen over the past five years is more than a shift in methodology. It’s a full reimagining of how software gets delivered in a fast-moving, customer-led world.

Organisations are moving away from fixed deliverables and handovers, and towards continuous product ownership. At the same time, developers are being asked to own outcomes, learn new tools, and build user experiences that meet an ever-rising bar.

At Simply Commerce, we sit at the heart of this evolution. We help clients build delivery teams that are not just technically strong, but strategically aligned to product success. And we support candidates as they adapt to new roles, frameworks and ways of working.

The delivery landscape has changed, and for those ready to evolve with it, the next few years offer exciting opportunities to lead, shape and redefine what great software teams look like.

About Simply Commerce:

Simply Commerce is a specialist recruitment partner for digital commerce businesses, helping brands build high-performing, product-led teams. Contact us for a no-pressure chat whether you’re looking at your next career move, or focused on growth for your team and need to hire.

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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