04 Feb 2025

Marketplace report – the AI and ecommerce revolution


Prosus, in collaboration with Dealroom.co, has today released a new report into the future of online marketplaces. Titled “The AI x ecommerce revolution: how AI is shaping the future of online marketplaces”, the report describes the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping ecommerce, as the industry is radically transformed in the age of artificial intelligence.

Marketplace platforms are a dominant economic force globally, having revolutionised how businesses and consumers interact. Now, artificial intelligence represents a seismic technological shift, poised to reshuffle the deck once again.

At this time of rapid change, Prosus stands as a leader operating at the intersection of marketplaces and AI innovation. With a global portfolio of scaled marketplaces, a deep understanding of their dynamics and a leading in-house AI innovation hub, Prosus is uniquely positioned to redefine the future of ecommerce.

Fabricio Bloisi, CEO of Prosus Group:

“The online platform economy has fundamentally changed how businesses and consumers interact. Now, AI represents another seismic technological shift for ecommerce companies’ relationships with consumers. Companies using AI are dramatically improving the user experience, enhancing personalization and driving unprecedented growth. AI adoption is no longer optional – it’s an imperative.

“The recent release of DeepSeek’s R1 model is more than just a milestone in AI technology. This ‘DeepSeek moment’ is a transformative opportunity for businesses to accelerate value creation through new applications. And at Prosus, we’re doing just that – building, investing, and collaborating with our partners to create new frontier products and technologies. From enhancing customer experiences and driving operational efficiencies, to creating an agentic future, Prosus is putting AI at the forefront of our next phase of growth.”

Key findings from the report include:

  1. The AI App store is now open – as models and infrastructure are rapidly commoditising, we are seeing explosive growth and innovation at the application layer. We’re now closer to the value-accrual inversion between apps and infrastructure than many expected.
  2. The future of ecommerce is agentic – shopping agents are now poised to make autonomous purchasing decisions for us.
  3. Technology ecosystems are best positioned to win – they unlock a unique set of vast, interconnected data at scale, primed for AI innovation.

To delve deeper into these findings, read the full report and our blog post on the implications of the DeepSeek moment for ecommerce.

About Dealroom.co

Dealroom.co is the foremost data provider on startups, growth companies and tech ecosystems in Europe and around the globe. Founded in Amsterdam in 2013, Dealroom.co now works with many of the world's most prominent investors, entrepreneurs and government organisations to provide transparency, analysis and insights on venture capital activity.

About Prosus

Prosus is a global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world.

Operating and investing globally in markets with long-term growth potential, Prosus builds leading consumer internet companies that empower people and enrich communities.

The group is focused on building meaningful businesses in the online classifieds, food delivery, payments and fintech, and education technology sectors.

Through the Prosus Ventures team, the group invests in new technology growth opportunities within AI, social and ecommerce platforms, fintech, B2B software, logistics, health, blockchain, agriculture and more.

The team actively backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve people’s everyday lives.

Each month, more than 2 billion customers across the globe use the products and services of companies that Prosus has invested in, acquired or built. To find out more, please visit www.prosus.com.