Brands Rework Sales Pitches for Shopping AI as Retail Traffic From AI Jumps 393%
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 3
Brands Rework Sales Pitches for Shopping AI as Retail Traffic From AI Jumps 393%
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 3
Summary
Retail brands are reshaping marketing for AI shopping agents as consumers increasingly use chatbots and tools from Meta and OpenAI to get product recommendations and make purchases.
Adobe data showed AI-sourced traffic to U.S. retail sites rose 393% in 2026, pushing companies to optimize for how bots rank products rather than for human attention and emotion.
Startups such as Limy are pitching brands on “AI visibility,” while marketers warn companies that fail to adapt may disappear from chatbot recommendations entirely.
Morgan Stanley estimates agent-influenced spending could reach 20% of U.S. e-commerce by 2030, or about $385 billion, suggesting AI interfaces may increasingly replace direct visits to brand websites.