Luxury Intelligence

AI infrastructure is now the real gatekeeper in luxury and jewellery, not brands or platforms. SK hynix’s $26.5 billion US listing and Nanya’s $6 billion expansion both chase the same AI-fuelled demand that is reshaping how consumers discover and buy. Microsoft’s 27% emissions surge shows the scale of the AI buildout, while Amazon agencies scramble to understand how AI-driven referral traffic is shifting the purchase funnel before their eyes.

The old playbook, control the message, own the customer, no longer works when AI tools direct shoppers to Amazon or marketplaces, as seen with M&S’s expansion to Amazon Netherlands. Even luxury, with Brands Seekers’ AI stylist, is forced to compete for attention on new terms. Some argue that high AI costs, flagged by Palo Alto’s CEO, will slow this shift. I disagree: the capital is already committed, and the consumer is already moving.

For luxury and jewellery operators, the next quarter is not about perfecting owned channels, but about mastering visibility wherever AI-driven discovery happens. That means investing in marketplace presence, testing AI-powered product discovery, and tracking how referral traffic is evolving, before someone else owns your customer’s first click.