Great Deals bets big on ‘AI commerce’
In a social media-crazed country such as the Philippines, e-commerce has grown by leaps and bounds, overcoming even the constraints of an archipelagic market where distance and logistics have long complicated the movement of goods.
But for one homegrown e-commerce giant, that growth, driven largely by the emergence of platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop, may pale in comparison with what could come next when artificial intelligence (AI) enters the picture.
And that does not mean simply automating responses on shopping apps.
Great Deals E-Commerce Corp., a homegrown e-commerce enabler that helps brands sell their products online, believes the next big opportunity lies in “AI commerce”—where AI agents do the selling and, eventually, even help consumers do the buying.
“As of now, humans are still better sellers than AI. But that does not mean AI cannot sell. It can sell. It can produce revenue,” Great Deals founder and CEO Steve Sy says as he scrolls through an e-commerce feed populated by both human livestreamers and AI agents modeled after the looks and voices of actual employees.
Banking on that potential, Great Deals is already positioning itself for what Sy describes as the “next frontier” of Philippine e-commerce.
Inside the company’s otherwise unassuming headquarters in Quezon City, there is already a nook lined with computers and monitors churning out round-the-clock livestreams featuring AI-generated sellers hawking products on digital shopping platforms.
Automated live-selling
Great Deals currently has around 20 AI livestreamers, alongside about 50 human live-sellers. Sy says the company wants to increase the number of AI sellers to about 60 by the end of the year.
And that is not simply an attempt to ride the AI boom. Sy prides himself on being an early adopter of the technology and sees a practical use for it in a business where keeping products in front of shoppers for longer can translate into sales.
While he acknowledges that human sellers remain better at appealing to shoppers on a personal level, Sy says AI can do something people cannot: keep selling continuously.
On a single account on one platform, a Great Deals AI livestreamer generated P730,217 in sales over 241 hours.
But Sy also notes the apprehension about the technology, including among some of the brands that Great Deals serves. The company, therefore, makes it explicit when a livestreamer or piece of content is AI-generated rather than human-made.
Not humans vs AI
Within Great Deals itself, however, Sy takes pride in cultivating an AI-receptive workplace where people are not pitted against machines.
“We have a blended culture,” Sy says. “It’s human talent plus an AI-powered assistant. It’s not just a workflow; AI agents are teammates already.”
And while Great Deals’ AI live-selling push was introduced only this year, it is already adding another revenue stream to a business headed for what could be another banner year in 2026.
According to the company, it had already generated P10.6 billion in revenues in the first seven months of 2026, up 28 percent from a year earlier. Gross profit grew even faster at 34 percent, while operating expenses retreated by 11 percent.
With that performance, Great Deals is targeting P20 billion in revenues for the full year, which will surpass the record-high P15.4 billion recorded in 2025.
“We had our best year last year. And then, this year is going to be better,” Sy says.
That will continue the e-commerce company’s rapid expansion from P4.4 billion in revenues in 2020 and about P12.4 billion in 2024. Great Deals ultimately wants to grow revenues to P100 billion by 2030.
It sells products for more than 500 brands across e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop. Among its largest clients are Nestlé, P&G, NutriAsia, Del Monte, Unilever and Maybelline New York.
Regional expansion
Even with its rapid growth, Sy says another fundraising round remains on the table as Great Deals looks beyond the Philippines and aims to add more “firepower” to acquire larger companies as it expands across the Asia-Pacific region.
Recall that in 2021, Great Deals secured $30 million in a Series B funding round led by local logistics major FAST Group of the Chiongbian family. Before that, in 2020, it secured $12 million in Series A funding from private equity firm Navegar.
Sy says the company could pursue a Series C round once it has acquired two to three companies, which he says would demonstrate that its acquisition and integration strategy works. The intent is to raise more than $100 million, he says.
An initial public offering (IPO) likewise remains part of its longer-term plans, although Sy stresses the timing and venue will depend on market conditions.
“We do have ambitions to be listed. We want to have an IPO in the future, definitely,” Sy says.
If and when Great Deals decides it is ready to brave the public market, Sy says his own ambition is to list on the Nasdaq. But he does not write off a listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange, which he says the company may reconsider if the GCash IPO planned for October does “very well.”
Even before then, Sy says Great Deals is already preparing itself to go public.
“When the opportunity comes, we’re ready,” he adds.
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