U.S. Retailers Experiencing Major Surge in AI Traffic, Study Finds

AI is quickly becoming the main conduit between consumers and their favorite brands, a new study by Adobe Analytics concludes. Shoppers are engaging with AI-powered large language models (LLMs) to find specific products or locate the best deals, while receiving links to relevant retail websites.

The scale of such interactions has been growing at an astounding pace, Adobe found. In the first three months of 2026, traffic from artificial intelligence sources to U.S. retail sites grew 393% year over year (YoY). In March 2026, it was up 269% YoY. This continues the momentum that was observed during the most recent holiday season where AI traffic was up 693% YoY.

The rise in AI conversion is reinforced by Adobe’s data on engagement and bounce rates. Data from March 2026 showed that once an individual lands on a U.S. retail site (from an AI source), the engagement rate is 12% higher compared to non-AI traffic. These shoppers are essentially spending more time on the website (48% longer per Adobe’s data) and browsing more pages (13% more pages per visit).

However, not all retailers are experiencing such upticks. New Adobe data shows that major portions of U.S. retail websites are not entirely readable by machines, which limits their visibility across AI search results. As the internet continues to be re-intermediated by AI, there is increased urgency for retailers to revamp their digital properties and ensure their products remain top of mind with shoppers.

Adobe’s insights are based on direct transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, along with a companion survey of more than 5000 U.S. respondents on how consumers are leveraging AI in their online shopping journeys.

Click here for more from the Adobe survey.