TLDR Tech / Marketing
AI-driven traffic isn't (yet) as good as it's hyped to be
AI-driven traffic produces lower revenue per session than most channels and only beats paid social, so it should not be overvalued despite current hype. In a study of $20B in sales across 973 ecommerce sites, AI traffic had conversion rates 11.5% lower than organic search and 46.2% lower than affiliate traffic, though it showed slightly better engagement and 16.7% lower bounce rates. AI referrals made up only about 0.2% of total visits, which shows limited scale today. Performance improves for complex products, where AI traffic share is 4.6x higher, and among younger and tech-savvy audiences. AI works better for research-heavy purchases because users accept extra steps when they need detailed information, but it adds friction for simple products.
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