New data released by Adobe indicates that as of March 2026, AI traffic to U.S. retailers' websites has risen by 269% over the previous 12 months, building on the strong momentum from the holiday shopping season when AI traffic soared by 693%. Specifically, in the first three months of 2026, AI traffic saw a 393% increase compared to a year earlier, driven by a growing number of consumers utilizing AI assistants for their online shopping needs.
The shift in traffic sources is not the only impact. The data reveals that AI visitors are converting more effectively, demonstrating higher engagement rates, spending more time on sites, and generating increased revenue per visit. This trend often reverses patterns observed just a year ago, when traditional customers were typically more valuable to retailers.
Adobe's insights are derived from its analysis of online transactions via its Adobe Analytics division, which monitors over a trillion visits to U.S. retail sites. The analysis also incorporated a survey of over 5,000 U.S. respondents regarding their AI usage in shopping, alongside the company’s new AI Content Visibility Checker tool, designed to assess retail websites' accessibility for Large Language Models (LLMs).
According to Adobe’s survey, 39% of individuals reported using AI for online shopping, with 85% stating it improved their experience. These positive findings are likely attributed to AI's ability to help users narrow down product choices and identify discounts. Furthermore, 66% of those surveyed now believe AI tools provide accurate results when shopping.
Unlike publishers, where AI is causing a decline in referral traffic, retailers are incentivized to optimize their sites for AI. Adobe's data shows that AI traffic converted 42% better than human customers in March 2026, setting a new record. This marks a notable reversal from March 2025, when AI traffic converted 38% worse than regular individuals.
Additionally, Adobe found that when a consumer arrives at a retail site via an AI source, their engagement rate tends to be 12% higher than those using non-AI sources. Shoppers also spend significantly more time on the website (48% longer) and browse more pages (13% more pages per visit), according to the data.
Regarding financial performance, AI-driven revenue per visit (RPV) was 37% higher than non-AI traffic as of March. Just 12 months prior, regular human traffic was valued 128% more than AI.
However, Adobe cautioned that not all retail sites are fully prepared for AI. Their analysis indicated that approximately a quarter of the content on retailers’ homepages and category pages has not been optimized for LLMs. Individual product pages present an even greater challenge, with about 34% unable to be properly accessed by AI. Adobe suggests that retailers should prioritize making their sites more accessible to LLMs to maintain relevance with online shoppers moving forward.