The year 2025 marked a significant milestone in the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) in retail and ecommerce platforms. With a growing use of AI-driven tools, 20% of global orders during Cyber Week were influenced by these technologies, according to Salesforce. This statistic suggests that consumers are increasingly adopting AI-assisted shopping practices, although the reality of the market is more nuanced.
As artificial as it is intelligent
Despite the interest in integrating AI agents, platforms like Shopify and Amazon have begun to restrict their use within their ecosystems. Walmart, which had taken a more collaborative approach until now, has established guidelines that limit certain functionalities of AI agents, including the ability to take users to checkout pages or complete purchases. This resistance suggests a growing concern for transparency and control within e-commerce.
The arrival of tools like Comet from Perplexity, which promises to revolutionize product discovery, could further complicate consumer behavior analysis for retailers. With the possibility of these tools dominating the discovery and purchasing workflow, advertisers may experience a loss of visibility into shopping habits, complicating attribution analysis and increasing reliance on first-party data.
In light of this changing landscape, brands must focus on optimizing generative engines (GEO). Adding clear metadata, indexable review sections, and detailed descriptions will enhance the effectiveness of product discovery by AI. Adapting to this new reality is not only necessary but urgent, as the modern consumer increasingly seeks recommendations and suggestions rather than making organic discoveries of brands and products.