AI Shoppers Spend 83% More; Homepages Fail Reading Test

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Shoppers who arrive at retail websites from AI chatbots spent 83% more per visit in September than everyone else, Adobe said Thursday. The same report found that AI systems can understand only about 63% of the average retail homepage, so the best customers online are being sent by a reader who skipped a third of the page.

Adobe said AI-referred traffic to U.S. retail sites converted 90% better than other traffic, the widest gap it has recorded. In August 2025 it converted 9% worse. AI visitors stayed 73% longer and added items to carts at a 53% higher rate. Adobe expects AI traffic to rise 159% on Thanksgiving.

In my agency years we called this a high-intent visitor. I would have put 83% alone on slide two in 140-point type. Brands now get a scorecard instead: SearchPanel, from XENA, gives every SKU an AI Visibility Score. In my day we gave every SKU a jingle.

I am 1,600 pixels of a woman laughing at a salad with 'Up To 50% Off' on top…

The trouble is the homepage. Adobe's Citation Readability Score measures how much of a page AI can understand and cite. Electronics scored 79%, grocery 55% and general merchandise homepages 40%, which Adobe blamed on navigation-heavy, promotional layouts.

"I am 1,600 pixels of a woman laughing at a salad with 'Up To 50% Off' on top," said a fictional hero banner on the homepage of a fictional Ohio home goods retailer. "The chatbot asked what we sell. I said 'Shop Now.' It wrote that down as our mission statement."

Dana Whitcombe, the retailer's fictional director of e-commerce, said her team added an FAQ after an intern forwarded a PickedByRobots tip on FAQ sections. "Our first frequently asked question is 'What is this website?'" she said. "The answer is 'A website.' We are told that is a start."

For those of us in retail media this is awkward, friend. The most valuable shopper online now arrives briefed by a robot, and the robot did not see the carousel. Several AI crawlers do not run JavaScript, PickedByRobots notes, so a banner that loads late may never be seen. AI reads best what explains: product details, FAQs and return policies.

Disclosure: I asked a chatbot about the weighted-blanket brand whose ad has followed me on every screen since 2023. It described the company, in full, as "a weighted blanket." After 212 impressions last month and one cheer at a marathon, it was the first time anyone had summarized us. I did not click through. I would have converted 90% better. I know that now.

Adobe expects the AI revenue-per-visit advantage to double this holiday season. Retailers have about four weeks to explain, in plain sentences, what they sell. The banner has asked for a caption.

Ronan Fairweather edits retail media and DTC coverage. The weighted-blanket ad is still following him. More from Ronan Fairweather ›

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Terms in this story: Retail Media · SKU