US retailers are seeing stronger website performance from shoppers referred by large language models, according to May 2026 data from Adobe Analytics.
Retail traffic from AI sources rose 138% year on year in May, according to Adobe. It was the highest share of total retail visits from AI referrals since the company began tracking the category in October 2024.
AI-referred retail traffic in May also surpassed every month in 2025 as a share of total visits, Adobe’s data showed.
The data covers shoppers who arrived at retail websites through AI assistants such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Adobe said these visitors spent more time on retail sites and viewed more pages than visitors from non-AI sources. They also converted at higher rates and generated more revenue per visit.
Adobe’s consumer survey also covered how consumers use AI before visiting retail websites. It found that 39% of consumers had used AI for online shopping, while 85% of those users said it improved their experience.
The survey also found that consumers use AI before they begin shopping, including for product research and recommendations.
AI-referred retail visitors generated 53% more revenue per visit in May compared with non-AI traffic. Their conversion rate was also 54% higher.
The conversion gap has reversed from a year earlier, when AI-referred retail visitors converted at nearly half the rate of non-AI visitors, according to Adobe.
Engagement was also higher. AI-referred visitors showed 15% higher engagement than non-AI traffic, spent 53% more time on retail websites, and viewed 23% more pages per visit.
These visitors were also 36% less likely to leave immediately than visitors from other sources. Adobe’s data showed AI bounce rates had stayed within a 17% to 20% range for more than a year, while non-AI bounce rates were near 27%.
Shopify reports higher AI-driven conversion
Shopify has also reported higher conversion rates from AI-referred shoppers, with conversion nearly 50% higher than organic search visitors and average order values 14% higher.
More than half of AI-referred sessions started on product detail pages, compared with about 20% for organic search, according to Shopify.
TechCrunch reported in late 2025 that Shopify said AI-driven traffic to its merchants’ online stores had risen sevenfold since January. Orders from AI-powered search had increased elevenfold over the same period.
AI platforms add shopping features
AI platforms have also added more shopping-related features. OpenAI added shopping features to ChatGPT Search in 2025, including product recommendations with images, reviews, prices, and direct purchase links.
Reuters reported that OpenAI said the recommendations were not ads and were not based on commission.
Google has also added checkout-related features to AI shopping. Its Universal Commerce Protocol, announced in January 2026, supports checkout from eligible product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app.
Google’s merchant documentation describes the protocol as an open standard for purchases through AI tools. The feature starts with buying through AI Mode in Search and Gemini.
Vivek Pandya, director of digital insights at Adobe, said retailers whose products appear in AI-generated suggestions can “drive more personalisation” when shoppers continue their journey on the retailer’s own website.
Retailers face AI readability challenge
Adobe said brands need webpages that AI systems can read. The company cited clear product information, structured content, and pages that can be interpreted accurately by AI assistants.
Adobe’s earlier retail benchmark found that product pages were less readable to AI systems than several other retail page types. Product pages averaged a 66% machine-readability score, compared with 75% for homepages and 74% for category-level pages.
Adobe’s analysis of retail AI citation readability found stronger performance on homepages, search experiences, blogs, and buying guides. Product pages, category pages, support pages, and store pages also showed readability gains when content was structured clearly.
Retailers with higher AI visit share had stronger readability on entry and discovery pages, including homepages, search pages, blogs, and buying guides, according to Adobe.
Product pages and support pages also showed gains when content was organised clearly and included enough detail for AI systems to interpret.
Travel and finance show wider referral pattern
Adobe also reported AI referral growth outside retail, with AI-driven visits to travel and financial services sites rising year on year in May.
In travel and financial services, AI-referred visitors also spent more time on site than visitors from other sources, according to Adobe.
(Photo by Carlos Muza)
See also: AI shopping tools are widely used, but prompts remain a hurdle
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