Too Long; Didn't Read
Consumers increasingly trust Amazon, Stitchfix, and other aggregators to sort and surface the best products. This means the algorithm is the new consumer brand–signaling trust and quality. Brands used to play an important role in an offline world with limited access to information, acting as a proxy for preference, functionality, and quality. “Amazon’s Choice” or “recommended for you” fill the same need that brands used to, giving us confidence that we will like something. It's also happening in categories where brand used to really matter.