In April 2026, the ads presented by VTEX placed artificial intelligence, conversation and commercial execution within the same trip. Among the new features were features to discover products, campaigns, multichannel experience and store at WhatsApp.
The movement points to an important change: trade ceases to be a rigid sequence of pages and happens in conversations, AI responses, voice and social channels. For those who sell, the CRM needs to accompany that journey without losing origin, history and intention.
Purchase starts before the store
The consumer can discover a product in an AI response, ask for comparison in natural language and complete the conversation in a messenger. This breaks the linear funnel. Marketing, customer service and sales need to share data to recognize that all these interactions belong to the same person.
WhatsApp is no longer just support
When appearing as a store and relationship environment, WhatsApp takes more steps: discovery, doubt, recommendation, recovery and after-sales. The operation needs to combine speed with permission, segmentation and continuity.
A useful commercial conversation must reach the CRM with origin, product of interest, responsibility and next action. Otherwise, the channel grows, but management continues in the dark.
The role of AI in this journey
- Understand written requests in different ways;
- Recommend options based on a reliable context;
- To respond to the doubts of catalogue and trade policy;
- Identify the intention and address the correct specialist;
- Summarize the day to prevent the customer from repeating himself.
What marketing and sales should align
- Identification: How to recognize the contact between the campaign, the site and the messenger
- Award: how to register origin without ignoring intermediate points;
- Consent: When and how to continue communication
- Handoff: When AI, attention and seller change responsibility;
- Metric: What is the real advance on the journey?
A possible preparation now
Check the registration of products and frequent answers, connect the main channels, standardize the tags of interest and document the transfer rules. Then, try the AI at a specific step, such as discovery or qualification, before expanding to the whole trip.
Conclusion
The native trade in AI does not replace all the contact points. It connects them in a new way. The companies prepared will have a unique view of the customer and will be able to continue the conversation wherever it happens, from the content to the purchase and the purchase to the relationship.
Source consulted
VTEX AI-native trade suite 2026
Published by the team FunnelOps · 17 Apr 2026