Thierry Samson
Thierry Samson
Thierry Samson is Lead Client Success Manager at Bazaarvoice with over a decade of experience in Voice of Customer and User-Generated Content (UGC) programs. Having advised digital leaders since the dot-com era, Thierry helps brands and retailers turn consumer reviews, photos, and Q&A into authentic social proof across e-commerce, social channels, and search engines. Today, he consults with digital marketing and business tech leaders on leveraging UGC for AI-chatbots and agents, enabling customer-centric organizations to drive steady revenue, maximize product discoverability, and build long-term brand advocacy in the age of AI.
Winning the AI shelf with UGC: Playbook for discoverability
Shopping habits are changing fast. Consumers turn to AI assistants to research, compare, and pick products. But how do these systems decide which brands to recommend? Big ad budgets alone won’t get you onto this new digital shelf. Join Thierry Samson, Lead Client Success Manager at Bazaarvoice, to discover why real user-generated content (UGC) is the main currency for AI recommendations. Learn the 3 pillars of AI discoverability to make your reviews accessible, authentic, and abundant, along with practical steps to leverage existing customer content to rank higher in AI search.
Five questions for Thierry
1. What is one development e-commerce companies can no longer ignore?
AI agents and search engines becoming the primary filter between a brand’s product catalog and the shopper’s purchase decision.
2. What do you see as the next major shift in e-commerce?
The emergence of the “AI shelf,” where visibility is driven by structured, authentic user-generated content rather than traditional ad spend.
3. Can you give us a sneak peek of what visitors can expect from your session?
Practical, actionable steps on how Large Language Models (LLMs) evaluate customer content and how to make your reviews accessible, authentic, and abundant enough to win AI recommendations.
4. What is the most valuable lesson you have learned about online retail or digital commerce in recent years?
Don’t rely solely on ad budgets for visibility. Invest in an abundant, high-quality pool of authentic user-generated content that feeds both AI models and shopper trust.
5. Which customer expectation has changed the most over the past few years?
Shoppers expect instant, highly tailored product recommendations through AI tools, but they still rely heavily on authentic customer reviews to verify those recommendations before buying.