Less than a year after ChatGPT threatened to wipe out ecommerce, big retailers are building their own AI assistants that help shoppers find, compare, and buy products.
While these tools are still nascent, retailers are seeing initial success, suggesting that AI search is driving bigger orders than traditional search. In May, Walmart CEO John Furner noted that customers who use its AI assistant, Sparky, have an average order value 35% higher than customers who don’t. Similarly, 44% of app sessions in July that used Amazon’s AI assistant, Alexa for Shopping, resulted in a sale, according to data from Sensor Tower—up from 34% in July 2025 using Amazon’s former AI assistant, Rufus.
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