Perhaps the biggest change is happening at the bottom of the funnel: conversion. AI is not just guiding decisions, it’s beginning to execute them. We are entering the age of conversational commerce, where a customer can go from “I think I’ll buy this” to completing a purchase without ever leaving a chat interface or search results page.
Adobe Analytics reports that generative AI traffic to retail sites grew by over 1200% between mid-2024 and early 2025. Orders initiated through AI chat are converting at significantly higher rates than standard organic sessions. Fewer steps mean fewer drop-offs. In Shopify’s ChatGPT sales-channel pilot (pilot launched in April), users could say, “Order two more bags of the light roast,” get a confirmation, and complete the purchase, entirely in dialogue. Copilot can build an Instacart cart from a recipe card. The funnel stages blur into one.
This has two major implications. First, web analytics may show fewer checkout visits, not because of lost sales, but because they happen elsewhere. PYMNTS describes this shift as compressing browsing, selection, and checkout into one conversation.
Second, brands may lose visibility into the customer journey. If the AI agent owns the transaction, brands may miss chances to upsell or connect. You may see the order but not know where it came from. That said, smoother checkout raises conversion rates fast. Adobe shows that AI-driven search is rapidly outperforming traditional search in final-stage conversion.
