What is AI use case discovery?

AI use case discovery is the process of systematically identifying, evaluating, and prioritising the AI applications that are most likely to create business value for your specific operation. It avoids the common mistake of starting with tools and instead starts with commercial goals — mapping AI opportunities against your data, platform, and team capabilities before any tool selection or implementation begins.

How long does an AI strategy discovery engagement take?

Most AI Strategy & Use Case Discovery engagements run between three and six weeks, depending on the size of the team, the complexity of the commerce stack, and the number of use case areas to be explored. We structure the process with a defined set of workshops and review sessions so the timeline is predictable.

Do we need to have existing AI tools to benefit from discovery?

No. Discovery is valuable at any stage — whether you have no AI tools and are starting from scratch, have several tools that are underperforming, or are planning a significant AI investment and want to ensure it is directed at the right use cases.

What is the output of the engagement?

The primary output is a prioritised AI roadmap — a structured document that defines the priority use cases for your business, the data and platform requirements for each, the recommended implementation sequence, and the success metrics to track. We present this in a working session and provide a supporting document for internal sharing.

Will you recommend specific AI tools?

We provide technology landscape guidance as part of the engagement — including which tool categories are needed for the priority use cases and how to evaluate vendors. We are platform-neutral and do not have commercial relationships that would bias our recommendations.

Can you run discovery for a specific area, such as search or personalisation?

Yes. We offer focused discovery for specific use case areas — such as AI search and discovery, personalisation, or customer data activation — as a shorter, more targeted engagement. This is a good starting point if you have a clear priority area and want to move quickly.

What information do you need from us before the engagement starts?

We typically ask for access to a brief platform and tech stack overview, any existing analytics or performance data, and time with two or three stakeholders covering commercial, technical, and operations perspectives. We provide a structured briefing document to guide the preparation.

AI STRATEGY & USE CASE DISCOVERY

Find Where AI Creates Real Value for Your Ecommerce Business

We run structured discovery workshops to identify, evaluate, and prioritise the AI use cases that will deliver measurable commercial outcomes — before you invest in tools or implementation.

Book an AI Strategy Session

The Problem

Most AI Strategies Start with the Wrong Question

THE PROBLEM WITH AI PLANNING

Many ecommerce businesses approach AI by starting with tools — evaluating vendors, attending demos, and making purchasing decisions before they have defined what problem they are actually solving.

The result is AI investment that is driven by vendor promises rather than business evidence. Teams end up with tools that are implemented but underused, AI features that are technically live but commercially unmeasured, and roadmaps that prioritise what is easy to buy rather than what is valuable to deliver.

Without a structured use case discovery process, AI spending becomes difficult to justify and harder to optimise.

The right AI strategy starts with use cases, not tools.

Tool-First Thinking

Teams evaluate AI vendors before defining use cases — resulting in tools that are purchased but never fully implemented or measured.

No Clear ROI Framework

AI projects launch without agreed success metrics, making it impossible to demonstrate value or justify further investment.

Data Gaps Discovered Late

Businesses commit to AI tools before assessing data readiness — discovering integration and data quality problems during implementation.

Scattered Priorities

Multiple teams push different AI use cases simultaneously with no agreed sequence — creating delivery conflicts and resource strain.

Our Solution

We work with your team through a structured discovery process — combining stakeholder interviews, commerce data review, platform assessment, and use case mapping to produce a prioritised AI roadmap. Every recommendation is grounded in your actual business context, data availability, and commercial priorities — not generic AI best practice.

Stakeholder Discovery

We interview commercial, technical, and operations stakeholders to understand business goals, pain points, and existing AI awareness.

Data & Platform Audit

We review your commerce data, customer data infrastructure, and platform capabilities to assess AI readiness across each layer.

Use Case Mapping

We map AI opportunities against your business goals — covering every relevant area from search and personalisation to operations and retention.

Value & Effort Scoring

We score each use case on business impact, data availability, implementation complexity, and time to value — producing a clear prioritisation matrix.

Technology Alignment

We review the tools and platforms needed to deliver the priority use cases and identify build vs buy decisions.

Roadmap Delivery

We present a phased AI roadmap with recommended use cases, implementation sequencing, success metrics, and next steps.

What We Deliver

What the Discovery Engagement Delivers

AI Readiness Assessment

Evaluate your current commerce stack, data infrastructure, platform capabilities, and team readiness for AI implementation.

Use Case Identification

Map AI opportunities across search, personalisation, merchandising, customer data, support, and retention — specific to your business context.

Business Value Analysis

Evaluate each use case against commercial value, implementation complexity, data requirements, and time to impact.

Technology Landscape Review

Review the AI-enabled tools already in your stack and identify the gaps that need to be filled to deliver the priority use cases.

Prioritisation Framework

Rank use cases by business impact, data readiness, platform fit, and delivery complexity to produce a defensible implementation sequence.

AI Roadmap

Produce a phased implementation roadmap that connects use cases, tool requirements, integration needs, and business outcomes.

Use Cases

When AI Strategy Discovery Adds the Most Value

Pre-Investment Planning

Before committing to an AI tool or platform, define which use cases justify the investment and what outcomes to expect.

Existing AI Underperformance

When existing AI tools are not delivering results, discovery identifies whether the gap is in the tools, the data, the integration, or the use case definition.

Board or Leadership Alignment

Produce a structured AI roadmap that can be presented to leadership, used to secure budget, and used to align cross-functional teams.

Data Readiness Assessment

Understand whether your current data infrastructure can support the AI use cases you are considering — before you commit to implementation.

Replatforming AI Readiness

If you are evaluating a platform migration, use discovery to assess how AI-ready each candidate platform is for your priority use cases.

Annual AI Roadmap Review

Revisit and refresh the AI use case roadmap annually as your platform, data, and commercial priorities evolve.

Platforms Assessed

We Assess AI Readiness Across Your Commerce Stack

Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Assessed

Shopify Plus

Assessed

Adobe Commerce

Assessed

BigCommerce

Assessed

Why Innovadel

Commerce Context Makes the Difference

Commerce-Specific AI Expertise

Our use case discovery is grounded in ecommerce — we understand which AI applications create value in commerce contexts and which are more theoretical than practical.

Commercial, Not Technical Output

We produce roadmaps that business stakeholders can use to make decisions and secure budget — not technical specifications that only engineers can evaluate.

Vendor-Neutral Perspective

We have no commercial relationships with AI vendors that would bias our recommendations. Our goal is to identify the right use cases for your business, not to sell a specific tool.

Engagement Models

Engagement Options

AI Strategy Workshop (1-Day)

Best for teams that need a fast, focused use case mapping session with immediate prioritisation output.

AI Readiness Assessment

Best for businesses that want to understand data, platform, and team readiness before committing to an AI programme.

Full Discovery Engagement

Best for teams planning a significant AI investment and needing a comprehensive, defensible use case roadmap.

Ongoing AI Advisory

Best for teams that want a regular advisory relationship to refine their AI roadmap as the business and technology landscape evolves.

Ready to find where AI creates real value for your business?

Book an AI Strategy & Use Case Discovery session with Innovadel.

Book an AI Strategy Session Explore All Services