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As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly influences the retail landscape, major U.S. retailers are adapting their online presence to better engage with AI-driven shopping tools. Traditionally, holiday season marketing relied heavily on paid advertisements on platforms like Google and Meta to attract consumer attention. However, the rise of AI chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini is reshaping how consumers discover and purchase products online. These chatbots offer features like detailed product descriptions, price comparisons, and even enable direct purchases within large language models, becoming an integral part of the holiday shopping experience.
Most of the projected $253 billion in U.S. online sales during the holiday season will still come from direct website visits or traditional search engines. Nonetheless, retailers recognize the growing importance of AI agents, which present a new frontier for visibility and consumer interaction. Companies are now investing in content production at an unprecedented scale. Brian Stempeck, CEO of Evertune.ai, a platform that helps businesses optimize their content for AI discoverability, highlighted that some brands have increased their output from a few blog posts per month to hundreds. His company charges clients, including apparel and footwear brands, around $3,000 monthly to help them become more visible to AI scrapers that gather data for large language models.
Since AI chatbots do not currently support traditional ad placements, retailers are exploring alternative strategies to improve their chances of being recommended by these AI tools. This includes frequent posts on branded blogs and participation in community platforms like Reddit. Some large retailers have even developed websites designed exclusively for AI scrapers—tools that collect product information to feed platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini—without necessarily targeting direct human visitors. This approach is an attempt to secure a place in AI-generated responses and gift recommendations during the busy holiday shopping season.
Despite these efforts, traffic driven by generative AI remains a small fraction of total visits. Data from Sensor Tower indicates that in October, referrals from ChatGPT to major sites such as Amazon, Walmart, and eBay accounted for less than 1% of their overall traffic. Yet, retailers note that consumers coming through AI agents tend to display higher purchase intent. For example, eBay confirmed that shoppers redirected via AI platforms showed strong intent to buy, although Walmart has not publicly commented on this trend.
Retailers are also leveraging social media influencers to enhance AI-driven discovery. Brooklinen, a bed linen company, hires influencers to discuss its products on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. The audio and text content generated in these posts is harvested by AI scrapers, increasing the likelihood of product mentions in chatbot recommendations. Additionally, Brooklinen has submitted its $199 comforter for prestigious awards, such as the New York Times’ Wirecutter, aiming to improve its visibility in AI-generated gift suggestions.
The adoption of AI shopping tools is currently more prevalent among younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, who are the most enthusiastic users of chatbots like ChatGPT. However, this demographic's relatively limited purchasing power means traffic from agentic AI sources remains modest for now. In other examples, Miami-based hair care company R+Co is investing in targeted advertising on Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, based on insights from its own AI agent, Rufus. This indicates a growing sophistication in leveraging AI-generated consumer data for marketing.
On the technology front, Google is expanding AI features in its shopping ecosystem. Its AI mode and Gemini chatbot integrate multiple factors such as store location and retailer reputation when guiding users, enhancing the quality of shopping recommendations. Google is currently testing AI-based ads in its Shopping AI mode in the U.S., allowing existing campaigns to appear within this environment. Similarly, OpenAI has introduced new shopping functionalities in ChatGPT to assist users with product comparisons and finding similar items.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy noted on a recent earnings call that users engaging with Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus, are 60% more likely to complete purchases. Meanwhile, retail giants Walmart and Target have announced plans to develop chatbot-based shopping apps, signaling a broader industry commitment to integrating AI into the consumer shopping journey. As AI continues to evolve, U.S. retailers are experimenting with various approaches to ensure their offerings are prominently featured in AI-driven shopping experiences, anticipating a future where AI agents become a primary interface for consumers.
