AI in E-Commerce: Trends, Tools, and Strategies

After transforming writing, research, and content creation, artificial intelligence is now reshaping how we shop online.

AI in e-commerce is no longer futuristic, it’s already embedded in customer journeys, product recommendations, and even payment systems.

OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, and Microsoft are in a fierce race to redefine how consumers discover and purchase products. Autonomous agents, zero-click searches, and intelligent payments... the e-commerce landscape is quickly evolving before our eyes.

The End of Traditional Web Search?

The use of AI as a search tool is exploding!

A recent Bain & Company study reveals that 80% of consumers now rely on AI-generated results for at least 40% of their searches, leading to a 15–25% drop in organic web traffic.

Gartner takes it even further, predicting that by 2026, traditional search volume could fall by 25% since 2024, replaced by conversational bots and generative AI agents.

For online retailers, this shift means one thing: optimizing for AI visibility, not just for Google, has become critical. Fast-loading, well-structured, and data-rich pages will be favoured by AI agents when recommending products.

The AI Giants Betting on E-Commerce

OpenAI launched Operator, an autonomous AI model capable of navigating a grocery website, filling a cart, and allowing the user to finalize checkout. The company even plans to take a commission on purchases completed directly through ChatGPT.

OpenAI also unveiled Instant Checkout enabling U.S. users to buy products without ever leaving their ChatGPT conversation.

Powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol, the system connects users with real merchants (OpenAI is not the seller), processing payments securely while OpenAI collects a commission per transaction—at no extra cost to the buyer. The feature currently supports single-item purchases, but multi-item carts and international rollout are coming soon.

Perplexity introduced Comet, an agentic browser capable of managing complex desktop tasks such as calendar organization, email management, and even autonomous online shopping.

Focused on deep web research, Perplexity is now emerging as a top tool for product comparison and purchase planning. Its ability to analyze hundreds of trusted sources in real time and summarize reviews, prices, and specs helps consumers make quicker, smarter decisions, turning search itself into an AI-assisted shopping experience.

Microsoft integrated an Action feature into Bing and Copilot, enabling users to search and compare products directly through conversations.

Google, meanwhile, merges ads, search results, and user data to offer AI-driven recommendations and smart price tracking, alerting shoppers when a product’s price drops.

The result? AI-powered commerce—where purchasing decisions happen before a user even visits a website!

Case Study: Amazon Prime Day and the Rise of AI Shopping

During this summer's Amazon Prime Day, AI shopping assistants saw a record-breaking surge.

According to Adobe,  traffic originating from generative AI sources jumped by 3,200% compared with last year. The results were striking:

• 92% of users who tried an AI shopping assistant said it improved their buying experience.

• 87% said they’re now more likely to use AI for high-value or complex purchases.

AI doesn’t just make shopping faster—it builds trust and reduces decision fatigue.

Visa Leads the Way in Intelligent Payments

Visa recently launched Visa Intelligent Commerce, in partnership with OpenAI, Microsoft, and IBM. The initiative aims to integrate AI into the payment process through:

• AI-ready cards (secure, tokenized payments),

• automated dispute management,

• personalized shopping and payment experiences.

Visa’s goal is to become the global standard for AI-powered payments, giving merchants seamless and secure integration into their online stores.

How to Use AI to Boost Your E-Commerce Business

Here are some of many practical ways to harness AI to grow your online sales and improve your shop:

1. Improve Product Detail Pages (PDPs)

Automatically generate SEO-optimized product descriptions, create smart FAQs based on real customer questions, and test different versions to identify which copy converts best.

2. Personalize the Customer Journey

Offer real-time product recommendations based on browsing history, tailor banners and emails dynamically, and build unique experiences that drive customer loyalty.

3. Optimize SEO and SEM

Use AI to automate keyword research, forecast trends, and optimize for GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)—ensuring your products appear in answers generated by ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini.

4. Create Engaging Social Content

Generate post variations for each platform, identify high-performing formats, and recycle top-performing content to extend its lifespan.

5. Simplify Internal Operations

Deploy internal chatbots to answer employee questions, automate competitive analysis and market research, and use sales data to predict upcoming trends.

6. Explore Emotional Intelligence

Implement AI tools that detect customer sentiment, deliver empathetic responses, and improve satisfaction through proactive, emotionally-aware support..

💡 Want to dig deeper? Explore AI-powered e-commerce prompts in the Business & Marketing section of our Guides section in the Resources.

Logistics and Delivery: Best Buy’s Real-Time Example

Delivery delays remain one of e-commerce’s biggest pain points. Best Buy recently rolled out an AI-based delivery tracking system that provides minute-by-minute updates.

The system analyzes live data, forecasted demand, traffic patterns, and optimized routes, to ensure faster, more predictable deliveries.

The result? Greater transparency, less anxiety, and higher customer trust. Experts estimate that 30% of shoppers welcome AI-generated order and delivery updates, especially for high-value items requiring in-person reception.

Key E-Commerce Trends to Watch

Beyond technology, AI is also shaping broader consumer expectations:

🛍️ Social Commerce

Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest now let users purchase directly within their platforms. AI can analyze social behavior in real time and recommend products based on engagement.

✉️ Extreme Personalization

From dynamic product suggestions to custom email marketing, AI transforms every visitor into a unique shopping experience.

🌱 Sustainable Commerce

Responsible sourcing, eco-friendly packaging, and optimized logistics, all supported by AI analytics, help brands measure and communicate their environmental impact transparently.

By aligning AI innovation with sustainability and ethics, businesses can attract increasingly conscious consumers.

AI: The Engine of Tomorrow’s E-Commerce

AI-driven commerce is no longer optional—it’s strategic.

From OpenAI’s autonomous agents to Visa’s smart payments and Best Buy’s predictive deliveries, every step of the shopping journey is evolving.

The companies that harness AI to enhance products, personalize experiences, and secure transactions will lead the e-commerce revolution.

The key? See AI not as a threat—but as a partner that helps you understand your customers better and deliver exactly what they want, while streamlining your internal workflows.

💡 Ready to bring AI into your e-commerce strategy? Start by exploring useful prompts in the Business & Marketing section, and see how AI can elevate your online store. Need help? Contact us at bonjour@infoiaquebec.com

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Natasha Tatta, C. Tr., trad. a., réd. a. A bilingual language specialist, Natasha pairs word accuracy with impactful ideas. Infopreneur and Gen AI consultant, she helps professionals embrace generative AI and content marketing. She also teaches IT translation at Université de Montréal.

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