AI offers huge opportunities for webshops – but which tools truly deliver?

This article is a translation of my Dutch column for Twinkle Magazine, which can be read here.

In recent years, the use of AI has accelerated rapidly. Since the launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the number of new AI tools has exploded. The possibilities seem endless: from content generation to customer service, from image recognition to process automation. For webshops, this presents enormous opportunities—yet it’s increasingly difficult to keep track. Which tools are relevant? Which AI companies are making an impact? And how do you stay in control of a landscape that changes faster than ever?

That’s why we started RankmyAI. What began as a research project at the Centre for Market Insights of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences has now grown into an independent platform that analyzes the performance of over 25,000 AI tools worldwide. Every month, we rank these tools based on measurable data: website traffic, investments, and user reviews—not paid promotions or marketing claims, but actual performance.

Cutting through the AI hype
In e-commerce, AI is playing an increasingly prominent role. Tools that generate product descriptions, handle customer queries, or analyze search behavior have already become mainstream. And that’s just the beginning. AI is now being used across the e-commerce value chain: inventory management, demand forecasting, supply chain optimization, abandoned cart recovery, content creation, SEO, email martketing, social media management, e-commerce platform management, price analysis, virtual try-on, and personalized recommendations through recommender systems. In short: AI can improve virtually every aspect of e-commerce.

But with so many tools on the market, it’s hard to know which one best fits your specific challenge or business model. That’s why RankmyAI not only publishes general rankings but also use case-specific subrankings, including many of the applications mentioned above. This helps webshops quickly identify which AI tools are most relevant and promising in their domain.

Mapping the Dutch AI landscape
Our research doesn’t stop at global trends—we also track national developments. At the end of March, we published the first independent analysis of the Dutch AI sector. It revealed that the Netherlands is now home to over 1,200 AI companies, most of them located in and around Amsterdam, followed by Rotterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven, and The Hague. Our ranking of the 250 top-performing Dutch AI tools highlights the companies and solutions standing out in terms of reach, investment, and user appreciation.

Our analysis also shows that at least 1 in 5 Dutch AI tools are directly relevant to webshops—in areas like retail, e-commerce, marketing & sales, customer service, logistics, or content creation. In broader categories such as consultancy & tool development and data science & analytics, we also find promising companies offering high-value solutions for the e-commerce sector.

Staying in control amid constant change
The AI revolution isn’t just a passing trend. Like the rise of e-commerce itself, it calls for a strategic approach: spotting opportunities, managing risks, and making informed decisions. That’s only possible when you know which tools and companies are actually delivering—and which ones are mostly marketing fluff.

With RankmyAI, we aim to offer webshops, e-commerce professionals, investors, policymakers, and others an objective compass in a constantly shifting landscape. The full analysis of the Dutch AI sector is freely available on RankmyAI.com. We also publish a monthly top 100 of the best-performing Dutch AI tools, along with international subrankings that are directly relevant for webshops—across marketing & sales, customer service, logistics, content creation, and e-commerce management.

One thing is certain: in a market evolving this fast, it’s crucial to keep moving—with facts, not just promises.