New Delhi, Aug. 10 -- For years, e-commerce companies have focused on making products easier to find through search engines, marketplaces and their own websites. That model is now facing another layer: customers asking AI assistants what to buy before they ever reach a retailer's website.

The change is already showing up in traffic patterns. According to Adobe Digital Insights, traffic from AI sources to US retail sites grew 125% between April and June 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. During November and December 2025, AI-driven traffic had increased 693% year over year, according to the same source.

That creates a different problem for retailers. Traditional search depends heavily on keywords and rankings. Conversatio...