The 2026 eCom Trends Report
Top Report Findings: This is our sixth Trends Report with 300 owners representing $3.5...
How can eCommerce founders actually use AI to save time, reduce costs, and build leverage—without getting lost in hype or gimmicks? In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Williams, founder of Ascend Labs and long-time ECF member, to break down where AI is delivering real, practical value for online businesses today.
Listen in as we explore concrete automation examples, founder-led AI marketing workflows, how to think about LLM optimization, and what AI-driven workforce disruption may mean over the next few years. Kevin also shares how he’s building AI-first systems inside his own company, why measurement matters more than tools, and how founders can position themselves for what’s coming in 2026 and beyond.
You’ll learn:
- How eCommerce founders can use AI to automate standardized processes and reclaim time. (5:00)
- Why AI works best when augmenting judgment, not fully removing humans from the loop. (7:30)
- How to build high-impact VIP customer workflows using AI and automation tools. (9:00)
- Practical examples of using AI for bookkeeping, alerts, and operational exception handling. (18:00)
- How Kevin blends AI with founder insight to create original, non-generic marketing content. (21:30)
- Where store owners should focus their AI marketing efforts. (37:30)
- What AI-driven workforce disruption really looks like behind the scenes. (41:30)
- How founders can future-proof themselves and their teams through AI literacy. (44:30)
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(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Kevin Williams of Ascend Labs)
What Was Mentioned
- Kevin Williams: Website | LinkedIn| Podcast
- Triple Whale
- Northbeam
- Kendall
- SaddleBox
- n8n
- Wispr Flow
- Vercel
- eCommerceFuel Forum
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“I leaned into artificial intelligence via machine learning, all the way back in the dim days of 2018 and 2019 when iOS 14 popped its nasty little head and made all of our lives really hard." - Kevin Williams Tweet this "Most things in a company happen based on a trigger and an output." - Kevin Williams Tweet this "We now have three people on our team who do either internal workflows or client-based workflows… but none of them had any experience with workflows at all prior to coming on board. They're just smart people who were really jazzed about experimenting and flailing and figuring it out." - Kevin Williams Tweet this
Post by Andrew Youderian
Founder and Chief Instigator, eComFuel
Andrew quit an early finance job to sell CB radios online — an admittedly unorthodox career path. It set him on a course to found and sell multiple businesses, host a decade-running podcast, lecture at Harvard Business School and create eComFuel, the leading community for 7- and 8-figure online business owners. Andrew is fascinated with branding, AI, building community, investing and growing meaningful businesses that don't require sacrificing what truly matters.
