Think back to how commerce has evolved over the past two decades.
First, every business needed a website. Then came mobile commerce, followed by social commerce, where platforms like Instagram and TikTok became sales channels in their own right.
Now another shift is underway. A growing number of shoppers are asking AI to help them find, compare and decide what to buy, instead of searching for products on their own.
In practice, this is playing out on several fronts at once, each changing a different part of how people shop.
Shoppers are asking instead of searching
Generative AI is quickly becoming a new entry point into eCommerce.
According to Adobe Analytics, traffic from generative AI sources to U.S. retail websites grew 1,200% between July 2024 and February 2025, roughly doubling every two months as shoppers relied more on AI assistants during their search.
AI-driven traffic still makes up a small share of overall visits, but its rapid growth suggests it’s becoming another way shoppers discover brands and products, alongside search, social and marketplaces.
For years, you’ve optimised for search engines and social feeds. Now there’s another factor to plan for: whether AI can find, understand and recommend your products with confidence.
Shoppers are beginning to replace keyword searches with conversational prompts like:
✅ “What’s the best espresso machine under $500?”
✅“Recommend a skincare routine for sensitive skin.”
✅“Compare the best wireless headphones for travelling.”
Instead of scrolling through pages of search results, shoppers now expect AI to do the legwork, weigh up the options and point them to what fits best.
For you, that means product discoverability is evolving beyond ranking on Google or running social campaigns. Your products need to be ready for AI-powered discovery too.
The biggest retailers are already investing
Some of the world’s largest commerce platforms are already building for AI-powered shopping. Amazon has expanded Rufus, its AI shopping assistant that answers product questions and helps customers choose. Google has rolled out AI Mode in Search, replacing plain link lists with conversational recommendations. OpenAI has added shopping features inside ChatGPT, so people can research products and go straight to a merchant to buy. Perplexity has built AI-powered shopping tools that pair product recommendations with live web results.
This is shaping up as a new commerce channel. Discovery is just the most visible part of it.
Try before you buy, without leaving home
Sizing has always been a reason shoppers hesitate at checkout. A large share of apparel returns comes down to incorrect sizing, since shoppers have to guess if they’re unable to try pieces on in person.
AI is starting to close that gap. Retailers like ASOS and Breuninger have launched virtual try-on tools that let a shopper upload a photo and see exactly how a garment will sit on their own body, not a model’s. Smaller brands are getting in on it too. Goddiva, a UK dress retailer, built a version that lets VIP customers upload a photo and see themselves wearing its styles across both collection and product pages.
Some retailers are pairing try-on with AI sizing tools that check a shopper’s body shape against a product’s actual measurements before they add to cart. That means fewer wrong-size returns, and more confidence to buy in the first place.
This is a fast emerging area of retail tech with virtual try-on is forecast to grow from around $15 billion this year to close to $39 billion by 2030, according to Research and Markets.
From reactive to proactive shopping
The next wave of AI shopping isn’t waiting for a shopper to ask. It’s called predictive replenishment, and it means AI reordering staples – think coffee, nappies, protein powder -before a shopper even notices the cupboard’s empty, based on how fast they actually get used rather than a fixed schedule.
Amazon’s Alexa+ is already doing a version of this, moving beyond fixed subscription schedules to reordering based on real usage patterns it knows about its customers, instead of just a set calendar date.
A joint eMarketer and Amazon Ads survey (2025) found that nearly a third of US food shoppers are already willing to let AI auto-reorder staple items, and almost half are interested in AI tools that suggest recipes and fill a cart automatically.
For merchants, this comes down to product data. A replenishment agent decides what to reorder based on structured details, exact pack sizes, specifications and stock levels. It’s the same lesson as AI-powered discovery: if your data isn’t machine-readable, AI can’t act on it. Here, it’s a different moment to win. The shopper isn’t comparing anymore, they’ve already decided, so your product data is what decides whether you get the repeat sale or a competitor does.
What to check before you’re left out
Here’s what’s worth checking first to make sure you’re kept part of the conversation.
✅ Your product catalogue is complete, accurate and regularly maintained.
✅ Product titles and descriptions are clear enough for both customers and AI to understand.
✅ Your product images and sizing data are detailed enough for AI tools to represent your products accurately.
✅ Pricing, availability and product information are easy to surface across digital channels.
A little groundwork now goes a long way, and it’s a lot easier to tackle these things one at a time today than to scramble and fix them all at once later.
How Hello Clever is helping you prepare
At Hello Clever, we believe AI is where commerce is headed next.
That’s why we built Clever Shop, to help you take part in this new era of AI-powered shopping. As shoppers increasingly turn to conversational AI throughout their purchase decisions, Clever Shop makes your products available where those journeys happen, so you’re ready for the next generation of product discovery.
Alongside this, Clever AI helps you understand your customers better, turning transaction data into insights you can act on to find new growth opportunities*.
But this is just the beginning. We’re continuing to invest heavily in AI across the Hello Clever platform, helping you understand your customers better and adapt as commerce keeps evolving. As AI shopping matures, we’re building for a future where every transaction is smarter, more connected, and creates more value for you.
AI is reshaping how commerce works, and we’re building for what’s next.
*Estimates only, based on your inputs and assumptions. Not a forecast or guarantee of future results, and not financial advice.
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