Recent data reveals a significant surge in AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites, with a 269% increase over the past year as of March. This growth builds on the momentum from the holiday shopping season, which saw an extraordinary 693% rise in AI visits. The first quarter of 2026 alone witnessed a 393% year-over-year increase, reflecting more consumers turning to AI assistants for their online shopping needs.

The shift in traffic sources is accompanied by a notable change in visitor behavior. Data indicates that AI-referred visitors are now converting at higher rates, engaging more deeply, spending additional time on sites, and generating greater revenue per visit. This marks a reversal from trends observed just a year ago, when traditional customers were typically more valuable to retailers.

These insights are drawn from an analysis of over one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, alongside a survey of more than 5,000 U.S. consumers about their AI shopping habits. The research also utilized a specialized tool designed to assess how accessible retail websites are to large language models. According to the survey, 39% of respondents have used AI for online shopping, with 85% reporting an improved experience, often because AI helps them efficiently find products and access discounts. Furthermore, 66% now trust AI tools to provide accurate shopping results.

Unlike some digital publishers experiencing declines in referral traffic due to AI, retailers have a clear incentive to optimize their sites for AI accessibility. The data highlights a striking turnaround: by March 2026, AI traffic converted 42% better than human visitors, setting a new record. This contrasts sharply with the previous year, when in March 2025, AI traffic converted 38% worse than non-AI traffic.

The study also found that consumers arriving via AI sources show a 12% higher engagement rate. These shoppers spend 48% more time on websites and view 13% more pages per visit. In terms of financial impact, AI-driven revenue per visit was 37% higher than that from non-AI traffic in March—a dramatic shift from twelve months prior, when human-generated traffic was worth 128% more.

However, the report cautions that many retail sites are not fully prepared for this shift. Approximately a quarter of content on retailer homepages and category pages remains unoptimized for large language models. The situation is more pronounced on individual product pages, where about 34% cannot be properly accessed by AI. The recommendation is clear: retailers must enhance their sites' AI accessibility to remain competitive and top-of-mind for the evolving online shopper.