News Summary

New data from Apptopia highlights the growing influence of ChatGPT as a referrer to e-commerce websites during the Black Friday shopping weekend. ChatGPT’s referrals to retailer mobile apps increased by 28% year-over-year. However, the increase in referrals seems to primarily benefit larger e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Walmart, with Amazon’s share of these referrals rising to 54% and Walmart’s to 14.9%. Despite this growth, the overall impact of ChatGPT on e-commerce referrals remains modest, with referrals constituting only 0.82% of all ChatGPT sessions on Black Friday. Additionally, Adobe reported a significant increase in AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites during the holiday season, with an 805% rise on Black Friday and a 670% increase on Cyber Monday. Shoppers arriving via AI chatbots were also more likely to make purchases.