With more than 120 million listings and millions of active sellers, Etsy operates one of the most unique marketplaces in retail. But surfacing the right products for the right buyers requires more than algorithms alone.
In this episode of Retail Remix, host Nicole Silberstein speaks with Mary Andrews, Head of Global Merchandising at Etsy, about how the company balances human insight and instinct with AI-driven discovery to curate a shopping experience that feels both personalized and culturally relevant.
Mary shares how her team identifies emerging trends, translates cultural moments into shopping occasions and uses AI to scale those insights across Etsy’s massive inventory.
Key Takeaways
- How Etsy uses a combination of AI and human curation to translate cultural trends and buyer signals into an ever-changing slate of collections and experiences;
- Why AI will actually make human merchandisers even more valuable;
- Insight from Etsy’s early experiments using AI answer engines like ChatGPT and Gemini to expand product discovery;
- Lessons learned from working alongside Depop’s team of merchandisers, who have their finger on the pulse of Gen Z;
- How AI personalization is helping to amplify niche interests rather than homogenize the internet; and
- Why the future merchandiser will spend less time programming products and more time shaping taste and culture.
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What is Retail Remix?
The rules of retail are constantly changing. Today, we're in an exciting new era where brands can differentiate through experience and use technology to connect with customers in new and exciting ways. Retail Remix is a new podcast series brought to you by Retail TouchPoints, the industry's leading source for news, insights and research for all things customer experience. Every week, we sit down with someone who is helping put a new spin on the retail experience. Hear from the top practitioners, analysts and innovators in retail, and see what new engagement opportunities await.