---
id: "prereq-b2c-value-chain"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["§ A Brief History of the Customer Journey—and Who Holds the Power", "§ Clear Winners and Losers"]
tags: ["retail-economics"]
related: ["framework-evolution-of-retail-power"]
reason: "Understanding why retailers like Amazon have an advantage requires knowledge of retail margins, logistics networks, and the historical power dynamics of customer-data ownership."
sources: ["geo"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-geo"
originDay: 3
articleStem: "hbr-cl-92-ai-agents-changing-shopping"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/02/ai-agents-are-changing-how-people-shop-heres-what-that-means-for-brands"
sourceTitle: "AI Agents Are Changing How People Shop. Here’s What That Means for Brands."
---
# B2C Value Chain and Unit Economics

**Why it's required:** The article's "winners and losers" predictions rely on an implicit understanding of **retail unit economics** — margins, logistics networks, and the historical power dynamics of customer-data ownership.

The assertion that [[entity-amazon-d92]] will win due to "razor-thin margins" and an "extensive delivery network" assumes the reader understands how these operational efficiencies create a **moat** that mid-tier retailers cannot match (see [[claim-mid-tier-retailers-struggle]]). The data-ownership arc — receipt-level → customer-level → agent-mediated — is laid out in [[framework-evolution-of-retail-power]].

**Enrichment note:** Also useful is prior research on **e-commerce consolidation**, which already shows dominant platforms pressuring mid-market retailers on price/selection — the trend AI agents are predicted to amplify.