AI Traffic to US Retailers Surges 393% in Q1

The shift in traffic sources is having a profound impact on US retailers' websites.

As of March 2026, AI traffic to US retailers' websites rose by 393% compared to a year earlier, continuing the momentum during the holiday shopping season when AI traffic was up by 693%, according to new data released on Thursday by Adobe. The data is based on Adobe's analysis of online transactions, via its Adobe Analytics division, which covers over 1 trillion visits to US retail sites.

While the change in traffic sources is significant, it's not the only impact. AI visitors are converting better, engaging at higher rates, spending more time on sites, and driving higher revenue per visit, the data shows, often reversing trends from only a year ago, when regular customers were worth more to retailers.

Adobe's survey of over 5,000 US respondents found that 39% of people use AI for online shopping, and 85% said it improved their experience. The survey also found that 66% of those surveyed believe AI tools provide accurate results when shopping.

The data suggests that unlike publishers, where AI is causing referral traffic to decline, retailers are incentivized to make their sites AI-friendly. In fact, Adobe found that AI traffic converted 42% better than living, breathing customers in March 2026, setting a new record. Notably, it's a reversal of a trend that told a different story only a year ago: in March 2025, AI traffic converted 38% worse than regular people.

In addition, Adobe found that when a consumer lands on a retail site via an AI source, their engagement rate tends to be 12% higher than those who used non-AI sources. Shoppers also spend more time on the website (48% longer) and browse more pages (13% more pages per visit), the data shows.

However, not all sites are ready for AI, Adobe warned. It found that roughly a quarter of the content on retailers' homepages has not been optimized for LLMs, nor has the content on category pages. Individual product pages fare even worse: around 34% of pages can't be properly accessed by AI.

The company suggests that retailers work to make their sites more accessible to LLMs if they want to stay top-of-mind with online shoppers going forward.

Implications for Retailers

• Retailers must prioritize making their sites AI-friendly to stay competitive.
• AI traffic is driving higher conversion rates, engagement, and revenue for retailers.
• Adobe's data highlights the need for retailers to optimize their content for LLMs.