Answers
Direct answers to the questions marketing teams ask us.
One question, one answer, written to be quoted. Grouped by topic; each topic heading leads to its main guide.
AI consulting cost
Answer
How much does AI implementation cost for an ecommerce brand?
AI implementation cost from published prices: pilots from $10,000 to $40,000, the costs a development quote leaves out, and a 90-day DTC pilot budget.
October 21, 2026
Answer
How much does AI agent development cost in 2026?
AI agent development cost from published prices: $8,000 to $180,000+ to build, $500 to $13,000 a month to run, with three ecommerce agents costed.
October 20, 2026
Answer
How much does an AI automation agency charge per workflow or per month?
AI automation agency pricing from published rates: builds from about $8,000, single workflows $18,000 to $35,000, support from about $340 a month.
October 19, 2026
Answer
How much does marketing data engineering cost for an ecommerce brand?
Marketing data engineering cost for an ecommerce brand: published prices from about $1,000 for a dashboard to $30,000+ for a warehouse, plus monthly tool costs.
October 19, 2026
Answer
How much does an AI consultant cost for a $20M ecommerce brand?
A $20M ecommerce brand at Gartner's 2026 averages spends about $239,000 a year on AI.
October 14, 2026
Private AI
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Private AI consulting for ecommerce: what the engagement looks like
Private AI consulting for ecommerce: the four stages of an engagement, how long each takes, why most pilots stall and what to prepare before the first call.
October 18, 2026
Answer
Private AI implementation partner for a DTC brand: what to ask
Private AI partner for a DTC brand: five questions on where customer data is copied, who can see it, logging, training and deletion requests.
October 18, 2026
Answer
How to choose a private LLM implementation partner
How to choose a private LLM partner: eight questions on where the model runs, what you own, controls, testing and running cost, and what good answers look like.
October 16, 2026
Answer
Is ChatGPT Enterprise private enough for customer data?
ChatGPT Enterprise does not train on your data, but OpenAI still stores and can access it.
October 16, 2026
Answer
What are the risks of using public AI tools with customer data?
Public AI risks for customer data come from the vendors' own terms: training on personal accounts, retention, flagged chats and residency.
October 16, 2026
Answer
Private AI vs public AI: what is the difference for an ecommerce brand?
Public AI runs prompts on a vendor's servers.
October 15, 2026
Answer
What does a private LLM cost to run, beyond the model?
Running a private LLM costs far more than the model license: GPU hours, token fees, storage, monitoring, and governance each add to the total bill.
October 15, 2026
Answer
On-premise or private-cloud LLM: how do we deploy one so customer data never leaves our account?
Deploy an LLM inside your own VPC or hardware so customer data never leaves your account, with GPU prices starting at $2.89/hr from RunPod in October 2026.
October 15, 2026
Choosing an AI consultancy
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What is an AI implementation consultant, and how is it different from an AI strategy consultant?
An AI implementation consultant builds and deploys AI systems; a strategy consultant plans them.
October 23, 2026
Marketing data engineering
Answer
How do I build a marketing data warehouse from Shopify, Klaviyo, Meta Ads and Google Ads?
How to build a marketing data warehouse: connect Shopify, Klaviyo, Meta Ads and Google Ads, what each route costs, and how to make the numbers join.
October 22, 2026
Answer
Answer
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