AI Content Licensing for Merchants

Recent efforts by Microsoft and Amazon to develop content-licensing marketplaces for artificial intelligence models could represent an opportunity for ecommerce marketers.

A leaked Amazon Web Services slide presentation and Microsoft’s February announcement of its Publisher Content Marketplace both aim to solve the AI licensing problem.

REI is an excellent example of ecommerce content marketing.

AI Content

Large language models need content. They train on it and self-evaluate against it.

Yet those AI-driven interfaces increasingly answer questions without sending users to the content source. Google’s AI Overviews makes this obvious to many businesses in the form of dwindling search traffic.

Many publishers are alarmed, having built their businesses on audience reach, page views, and advertising impressions.

When AI systems summarize articles instead of referring readers, the economic model fractures. News organizations, media companies, and independent creators argue that AI platforms derive value from their work but don’t pay.

Some large publishers have made license deals, but the problem remains.

Microsoft’s Publisher Content Marketplace is one path toward a solution. The program allows publishers to license content for AI use through a centralized system that emphasizes usage-based compensation and reporting transparency.

Rather than relying exclusively on separate agreements, publishers can theoretically expose their work to multiple AI buyers while maintaining defined licensing terms.

Amazon’s reported initiative appears conceptually similar. Publishers could sell or license content to AI developers. While unconfirmed, the effort signals a broader industry shift toward formalized access to AI content rather than unstructured scraping.

Economics

These and similar marketplaces could reshape how value flows between content producers and AI builders.

For publishers, a marketplace implies more predictable compensation and greater control. For AI developers, it offers a defensible content supply chain that reduces legal uncertainty. In principle, marketplaces reduce friction by normalizing pricing, usage measurement, and participation mechanics.

Recommended

Why Search Rankings Are Driving Less Traffic

March 4, 2025

Content Marketing

While the licensing debate centers on publishers, ecommerce marketers should closely watch, too.

For years, some retailers have produced publisher-like content to attract, engage, and retain shoppers. Buying guides, tutorials, recipes, and project libraries increasingly sit alongside product catalogs.

Prominent examples include:

• Rockler with its “Learn Woodworking” blog.
• REI’s “Uncommon Path” blog and “Expert Advice” section.
• Williams Sonoma’s “Recipes, Menus & Tips.”
• Mr Porter’s Journal.

Much of ecommerce content marketing operates on the principle of reciprocity. Retailers provide useful information, and consumers reward it with trust, attention, and eventual purchases. The strategy does not depend solely on immediate transactions. It builds long-term preference and brand affinity, similar to that of publishers.

In fact, not too long ago, publishers complained that some forms of content marketing represented direct competition.

Content Traits

The distinction between the types of ecommerce marketing content is worth noting.

The first is promoting products. Content marketers and search engine optimizers work hand in glove to expose products. AI has made this more difficult.

Product feeds are a potential solution. The feeds would originate from ecommerce platforms such as Shopify or marketplaces like Walmart, which have direct relationships with AI businesses.

The second type is publisher-style and reciprocity-driven. These are the articles, videos, and podcasts to attract shoppers. It is distinct from product-focused and has at least three aims.

• Relationships first. Reciprocity-based content creates value independent of short-term purchases. It’s a back door to ecommerce sales and builds customer relationships. REI’s educational posts and videos help outdoor enthusiasts develop skills, whether or not a transaction occurs immediately.

• Brand affinity and trust. In the same way publishers seek authority, content marketers instill confidence. For example, Williams Sonoma’s recipe and entertaining collections position the retailer as an authority in cooking and hospitality. Shoppers engage with the brand through expertise, not only merchandise.

• Audience development, wherein the marketer is akin to a media company, with content that drives search engine rankings, repeat visits, email subscribers, and consumer preferences. Rockler operates as a niche publisher with its learning center that cultivates repeat visits and sustained engagement.

Content Opportunity

When they produce publisher-style content, marketers gain access to publisher-oriented tools, including emerging AI content marketplaces.

Yet the motivation differs. Publishers seek licensing revenue, while merchants seek discovery and visibility. Thus content-license marketplaces are a potential ecommerce opportunity to expose a brand’s products and expertise across AI-driven interfaces.