Coverage

In the press

Selected coverage of the paper across business media, trade press, SEO & marketing outlets, and research blogs — 225+ reports in 16 languages since October 2025. Links open on the publishers' sites.

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Browse all 226 reports

Business & national news 23

Retail & e-commerce trade 33

Search, SEO & martech 78

Agency & analyst commentary 73

  • Proctor + Stevenson· 2026Mentions the study
    How is AI really changing search?

    A marketing-agency explainer on how AI is reshaping search that links the study as evidence, citing ChatGPT's lower conversion versus Google organic to argue AI discovery hasn't displaced search yet.

  • commercetools· 2026Mentions the study
    Agentic Commerce Stats 2026: Enterprise Guide

    A commerce-platform vendor's statistics guide for enterprise leaders that cites the study as the peer-reviewed answer to whether AI referrals convert better: ChatGPT above paid social, but below direct, organic search and email.

  • AdNews· 2026Mentions the study
    We ran the numbers on whether AI visibility makes you money

    An Australian ad-industry opinion piece arguing AI visibility metrics mean nothing without revenue outcomes cites the study as a caution, noting AI-assistant traffic stays under 0.2% of visits yet converts above paid social and shines for complex purchases.

  • NateCue· 2026Mentions the study
    Agentic Commerce: The $5T Funnel Collapse Marketers Must Plan For

    An agentic-commerce piece that sets the study's figures — an 86% conversion gap to affiliate links, under 0.2% of traffic — against bullish adoption forecasts to argue the shift is real but slower than hyped.

  • Hexagon· 2026Mentions the study
    Agentic Commerce Statistics 2026: Every Number You Need to Know

    An agentic-commerce statistics compilation that draws on the study for oLLM's sub-0.2% share of sessions and its 86% conversion gap to affiliate links.

  • Classy Llama· 2026Mentions the study
    Agentic Commerce for Industrial B2B – What, When, & How

    A B2B agentic-commerce guide for industrial manufacturers that engages the same rise in ChatGPT-referred shopping traffic the study examines, arguing the near-term payoff lies in AI-mediated discovery — making product specs legible to LLMs so a brand lands on the buyer's "Day One shortlist" — rather than in fully autonomous purchasing agents.

  • Dralys· 2026Mentions the study
    Mixed Reports on AI Ecommerce Traffic

    An e-commerce analysis that draws on the study to counterbalance bullish vendor claims about AI-referred shoppers, citing its finding that ChatGPT drives ~0.2% of sessions and converts below most channels (~13% below organic search, 86% below affiliate) across 973 sites and $20 billion in orders.

  • Goodie· 2026Mentions the study
    Agentic Commerce Guide: Winning Google UCP & OpenAI ACP

    A B2B agentic-commerce strategy guide that touches on the same ChatGPT-driven shopping shift the study examines, arguing the real contest is product discoverability and breaking down the UCP-versus-ACP protocol split, ChatGPT Instant Checkout, and why Google's Shopping Graph and distribution give it a structural edge.

  • Ohh Rex Dino Design· 2026Mentions the study
    Mixed Reports on AI Ecommerce Traffic

    A retail-trade analysis that draws on the study to temper upbeat AI-acquisition claims, citing its finding that ChatGPT is under ~0.2% of e-commerce sessions and converts about 13% below organic search and 86% below affiliate across 973 sites and $20 billion in orders.

  • RampIQ· 2026Mentions the study
    ChatGPT vs Google as Your Leads and Traffic Source

    A B2B agentic-commerce analysis that draws on the study to argue ChatGPT trails Google on volume but sends higher-intent visitors, citing the study's finding that ChatGPT made up ~0.2% of sessions across 973 sites and converts below organic search, email, and affiliate for impulse retail.

  • Stellagent· 2026Focuses on the study
    Where ChatGPT Shopping Works and Where It Fails: A Frankfurt School Study of 973 E-Commerce Sites

    An e-commerce analysis that draws on the study to map where ChatGPT shopping works and where it fails, reporting it stays under ~0.2% of sessions and converts ~13% below organic search and 86% behind affiliate, yet outperforms traditional channels in complex categories.

  • upGrowth· 2026Mentions the study
    AI Shopping and D2C Traffic 2026: The Honest Data

    A D2C growth strategy piece that draws on the study to separate AI-shopping hype from reality, citing its finding across 973 sites that organic LLM traffic sits at ~0.2% of sessions and converts below every traditional channel except paid social, with affiliate links converting 86% more often.

  • Victorino LLC· 2026Focuses on the study
    164 Million Purchases Exposed AI Traffic's Conversion Problem

    A marketing-operations analysis that draws on the study to argue AI-referred traffic is a tiny, weaker acquisition channel, reporting it accounts for ~0.2% of sessions across 973 sites and converts well below organic search and affiliate, and reframing it as middle-funnel research traffic.

  • Victorino (Brasil)· 2026Focuses on the studyPortuguese
    164 Milhões de Compras Revelaram o Problema de Conversão do Tráfego de IA

    A Portuguese-language marketing-governance analysis arguing AI-search strategy runs on hype rather than evidence, citing the study's 164 million purchases across 973 sites to show ChatGPT referrals are ~0.2% of sessions, convert below organic search and affiliates, and belong in the middle funnel.

  • Xpert.Digital· 2026Mentions the studyGerman
    GEO zwischen Hype und Hybris: Die ökonomische Anatomie eines Buzzwords

    A German-language industry analysis dissecting the GEO buzzword as largely repackaged SEO, citing the study's finding that ChatGPT traffic converts and earns per session below organic search, email, and affiliate to deflate claims of vastly superior LLM conversion.

  • Elogic· 2026Mentions the study
    ChatGPT Commerce & Agentic Shopping Statistics 2026

    An agentic-commerce statistics compilation citing the ~0.2% oLLM traffic share and 164 million traditional-channel transactions to explain why fast-growing AI referral traffic is not yet a primary retail channel.

  • RunMarshal· 2026Mentions the study
    AI Search Traffic is 4.4x More Valuable Than Organic: Here is the Data

    An agency field note arguing AI referrals are far more valuable than organic that sets the study's 973-site, $20 billion dataset and roughly 13% organic-search advantage against that headline as the e-commerce exception.

  • Agentic Commerce Review· 2026Mentions the study
    Dark AI: The attribution blind spot hiding in plain sight

    A Substack essay on AI's attribution blind spot draws on the study as its most rigorous evidence, arguing that ChatGPT referrals convert below most traditional channels — 86% under affiliate, 13% under organic search — even as the gap narrows.

  • Anirudh Mantha (LinkedIn)· 2026Mentions the study
    Why AI Referral Traffic Converts 23x Higher Than Organic — And Why That Scares Me

    A LinkedIn critique of the viral '23x higher' AI-conversion claim briefly cites the study as the most rigorous e-commerce evidence to date, noting its finding that ChatGPT actually converts below organic search, email and affiliate.

  • ねえ、今日のマーケ見た? (Hatena)· 2026Mentions the studyJapanese
    ChatGPTは広告主にだけメーターを渡した

    A Japanese marketing blog argues OpenAI gives advertisers conversion tracking while leaving publishers only a robots.txt switch, citing the study, where ChatGPT converts below every traditional channel but paid social, as proof of the measurement blind spot.

  • Mighty & True· 2026Focuses on the study
    What The 973-Site ChatGPT Referral Study Actually Says

    A marketing agency's explainer weighing the study's dual signal — a fast-emerging ChatGPT channel against referrals still under 0.2% of traffic that convert below organic and affiliate — urging marketers to instrument tracking before investing.

  • MetaRouter· 2026Mentions the study
    Agentic Commerce Trends and Statistics for 2026

    A data-infrastructure vendor's trends piece drawing on the study — ChatGPT referrals under 0.2% of sessions, converting 86% below affiliate links — to argue weak agentic-commerce results are a solvable merchant-infrastructure problem, not a channel limit.

  • inova3· 2026Focuses on the studySpanish
    ¿Obsesionado con aparecer en ChatGPT? La realidad del tráfico de IA

    A Spanish marketing agency's opinion piece argues that appearing in ChatGPT does not guarantee sales, drawing on the study to show AI-referred traffic converts 13% below organic search yet still proves valuable for complex, considered purchases.

  • Anagram· 2026Mentions the study
    Does ChatGPT Traffic Convert Better? Why AI Sends Fewer but Higher-Intent Visitors

    A marketing-tech firm's conversion guide for DTC brands argues ChatGPT sends fewer but higher-intent visitors, drawing on the study's first-party data from 973 e-commerce sites to show AI referrals stay small yet engaged.

  • Brackmedia· 2026Mentions the studyGerman
    Agentic Commerce 2026: Warum KI-Einkaufsagenten (noch) nicht liefern, was sie versprechen

    A Swiss agency's reality-check on agentic-commerce hype that leans on the study as its central evidence — across 973 websites and $20 billion in revenue, organic ChatGPT traffic trailed every traditional channel except paid social.

  • Effect Digital· 2026Focuses on the study
    The Honest View. How Do LLMs Compare Against Traditional Channels?

    A digital agency's in-depth walkthrough of the study — 0.2% of sessions, below paid social on conversion — arguing the results transform in high-complexity categories and that luxury travel and property brands gain compounding early-mover advantages.

  • Awayco· 2026Mentions the study
    GEO vs SEO: what actually changes for retail brands—and what stays the same

    An Australian retail-technology piece arguing GEO and SEO are one discipline applied to different assets, citing the study's complex-category advantage and sub-0.2% traffic share as the evidence base for feed-first optimization.

  • Auge Marketing· 2026Mentions the study
    LLM Referral Traffic: Why It Converts Differently

    An agency comparison of four conversion studies concluding LLM visitors arrive pre-qualified and mid-decision, crediting the 973-site results to Search Engine Land — which only reported them — in its e-commerce benchmark row.

  • Etched· 2026Mentions the study
    GEO for DTC: How AI Recommends Consumer Brands

    A generative-engine-optimization agency's case for DTC brands to invest now, using the study's sub-0.2% traffic figure as the academic anchor for current volume while arguing conversion quality and growth justify early positioning.

  • Expanding Web· 2026Mentions the study
    ChatGPT Shopping for a Magento store: the US and EU paths

    A Magento-focused guide to ChatGPT Shopping eligibility for US and EU merchants that cites the study's peer-reviewed measurement to size the channel, recommending feed hygiene and multi-platform discovery over chasing unstable checkout programs.

  • Plate Lunch Collective· 2026Mentions the study
    AI Search Has Six Buyer Paths. Your Website Sees One.

    An agency framework piece mapping six commercially distinct AI-search buyer paths of which analytics sees only one, citing the study's sub-0.2% traffic share and complex-category gains as evidence for the single visible click path.

  • Skale (LinkedIn)· 2026Mentions the study
    Most AI Evaluation Never Produces a Click

    A LinkedIn Pulse essay by an SEO agency arguing last-click attribution hides AI's real influence, reading the study's 0.2% share and weak conversion as evidence buyers research in assistants and purchase elsewhere.

  • AI Native Agency· 2026Mentions the study
    ChatGPT Ads and Conversational Commerce: Brand Guide

    A UK agency guide to ChatGPT advertising and conversational commerce recommending modest ad investment plus product-data infrastructure, using the study's conversion gaps to temper contradictory vendor benchmarks.

  • Ali Haris (LinkedIn)· 2026Focuses on the study
    The Two Numbers That Can’t Both Be True

    A LinkedIn Pulse analysis reconciling the study's sub-0.2%, below-average conversion result with a bullish 42% vendor claim, showing both are competent measurements of different populations separated by base rates, selection, and instrumentation.

  • Sellarix· 2026Mentions the study
    AI in Ecommerce 2026: What the Data Actually Says

    An e-commerce AI vendor's data guide to AI in online retail calling the study the strongest available evidence on channel size because it uses first-party store data rather than panel estimates.

  • BFJ Digital· 2026Focuses on the study
    Does ChatGPT shoppers convert better than Google searchers?

    An Australian agency's side-by-side of the headline "ChatGPT converts 31% better" claim and the 973-site results, concluding the conversion stat is real but misleading without the volume context the study supplies.

  • Shero Commerce· 2026Mentions the study
    How to Audit Your Shopify Store | Commerce Jam Mar 2026

    A monthly e-commerce agency newsletter whose AI-traffic section cites the study's 0.2% share — 200 times smaller than organic search — to argue merchants should build dedicated tracking rather than dismiss the channel prematurely.

  • Vista· 2026Mentions the study
    Your next customer is not a human: When AI agents start shopping for consumers, brands must relearn to be seen by machines

    A Taiwanese marketing author's essay on machine customers arguing brands must relearn to be seen by AI agents, citing the study's conversion evidence to temper hype about AI shopping agents' present selling power.

  • iPullRank· 2025Mentions the study
    AI Search to Sale: What the Data Reveals About AI Search Ecommerce Behavior

    An SEO agency's guide to optimizing product data for AI search, citing the study's upward conversion trend as reason to invest in AI-channel readiness.

  • The Martech Weekly· 2025Mentions the study
    TMW #254 — AI Decisioning is driving the convergence of CDPs and CEPs

    A martech newsletter on CDP/CEP convergence that surfaces the study's headline finding — organic LLM traffic trails all channels except paid social — as a notable data point.

  • Ben's Bites· 2025Mentions the study
    Grok vs Wikipedia

    An AI newsletter that flags the study's finding that LLM organic traffic is "not just low quantity, but low quality," underperforming everything except paid social.

  • MetaRouter· 2025Mentions the study
    Agentic Commerce in 2025: What We Learned

    A year-in-review on agentic commerce that uses the study's traffic-share and affiliate-gap figures to argue data quality and infrastructure are the real competitive moats.

  • Mindbox· 2025Mentions the studyGerman
    KI-Suche: Wie Trust zum Conversion-Treiber wird

    A German piece on generative-engine optimization that uses the study's conversion gaps to argue visibility in AI search isn't enough without trust, building a three-pillar framework around it.

  • Roberto Serra· 2025Focuses on the studyItalian
    ChatGPT non fa vendere: Google resta il re delle conversioni

    An Italian strategy piece that builds on the study to argue AI rewards off-site authority over evergreen content, pairing the underperformance data with the case for earned reputation.

  • Complete AI Training· 2025Focuses on the study
    ChatGPT referrals are rising, but still no match for search in ecommerce

    A summary of the study framing ChatGPT as an "emerging assist channel" trailing all channels except paid social, and suggesting a 5–10% experimental budget while search stays primary.

  • BMON· 2025Focuses on the study
    The problem with AI search conversions

    A UK analysis of the study explaining the conversion gap behaviorally — shoppers research via AI then verify and buy through traditional search — an early discovery layer that "hasn't yet learned how to sell."

  • AI for Ecommerce & Amazon Sellers· 2025Focuses on the study
    ChatGPT Sucks At Selling (But There's A Plot Twist)

    A newsletter analysis treating the study's weak numbers as the "before" of an impending shift, arguing OpenAI's in-app checkout could reshape ChatGPT's conversion within a year.

  • DigitrendZ· 2025Focuses on the study
    ChatGPT, LLM Referrals Underperform Google Search: Study

    A news summary of the study's headline statistics, read as a cue for marketers to start building LLM strategies now while traffic is still small.

  • iTech Manthra· 2025Mentions the study
    ChatGPT LLM Referrals Convert Worse Than Google Search: Study

    A consultant's post that takes the study's finding that ChatGPT converts worse than Google as the backdrop for an 80/20 split between SEO and AI optimization.

  • 7thSENSE· 2025Focuses on the studyGerman
    AI Commerce Tipps: ChatGPT bringt Klicks, aber kaum Sales

    A German agency report on the study, citing the full dataset and metrics and concluding AI commerce is emerging but calls for better website-data optimization rather than channel replacement.

  • Paul Morris· 2025Focuses on the study
    oLLM eCommerce analysis – 2025

    An independent analysis of the study arguing against disruption narratives — oLLM lags organic search and stays marginal but improves steadily — and advising measured preparation.

  • Slade· 2025Focuses on the studyCroatian
    Istraživanje: ChatGPT konverzije i dalje 13% manje nego s Googlea

    A Croatian SEO write-up of the study reporting a ~13% conversion gap to Google at ~0.2% of traffic, urging brands to measure first-click as well as last-click to credit AI's discovery role.

  • Advox Studio· 2025Mentions the study
    What is the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)?

    An Agentic Commerce Protocol implementation guide that cites the study to argue ChatGPT traffic alone isn't yet enough, framing ACP readiness as preparation rather than urgency.

  • ExploreCarbon· 2025Focuses on the study
    The ChatGPT E-Commerce Revolution Will Be…Delayed: What $20 Billion in Sales Data Really Shows

    An analysis using the study's $20-billion dataset to push back on inflated conversion claims, arguing AI-driven shopping materially underperforms traditional channels — its "revolution delayed" thesis.

  • Trimontium· 2025Focuses on the study
    Is Google Going to Have the Last Laugh? AI's Search Impact

    An analysis using the study to argue organic search stays dominant, highlighting its "verification behavior" finding — shoppers follow AI suggestions but return to Google to confirm.

  • PremiumDigital· 2025Focuses on the studyPolish
    Czy ChatGPT to „zabójca Google" w e-commerce? To badanie studzi emocje

    A Polish analysis that poses the "Google killer" question and answers it with the study's data: ChatGPT beats only paid social across the financial metrics.

  • Algomera· 2025Focuses on the studyItalian
    ChatGPT e-commerce: basse conversioni secondo Kaiser-Schulze

    An Italian report on the study headlined "the great disappointment of ChatGPT in e-commerce," citing the affiliate and organic-search conversion gaps.

  • ImaginePro· 2025Focuses on the study
    Why ChatGPT Shoppers Aren't Buying Yet

    An analysis of the study centering the consumer-trust explanation for weak ChatGPT conversion, and pointing to OpenAI's Instant Checkout as a prospective fix.

  • Ark Advance· 2025Focuses on the study
    ChatGPT vs Google: $20B Study Shows Surprising Results

    An AI-marketing advisory piece built around the study, walking through why ChatGPT referrals still convert below Google despite rapid growth — and what brands should do about it now.

  • HelloMartin· 2025Mentions the study
    Maximize Conversions from ChatGPT Traffic: Key Insights for E-commerce

    A conversion-focused e-commerce guide that draws on the study to explain why ChatGPT traffic converts below other channels, then lays out tactics to capture more of it.

  • NineTwoThree· 2025Mentions the study
    Apps in ChatGPT: Higher Conversions or Lost Users?

    A strategy piece on ChatGPT "Apps" that cites the study's sub-0.2% traffic share and conversion gaps to argue the channel's commercial impact is still limited — and to weigh whether in-chat apps will change that.

  • jGrab· 2025Focuses on the studyJapanese
    まだChatGPTトラフィックからの売上は高くない

    A Tokyo cross-border-commerce consultancy's explainer leaning on the study to warn Japanese exporters that ChatGPT brings traffic but few buyers, with a Japan-specific verdict that domestic sellers can wait while cross-border merchants cannot.

  • Alex Garcia· 2025Mentions the study
    Sales Conversion and ChatGPT Searches

    A marketing commentary that sets the study against Similarweb's conflicting figures, citing its finding that ChatGPT converts below organic search to argue the AI-traffic picture is more contested than the headlines suggest.

  • Afrana Marketing· 2025Mentions the studySpanish
    Los retos de la IA en el ecommerce: ChatGPT genera tráfico, pero aún no ventas

    A Spanish-language e-commerce feature that draws on the study to argue consumer distrust is the main barrier to generative-AI sales, reporting ChatGPT referrals convert 86% below affiliate links and ~13% below organic search despite high engagement, while improving monthly.

  • Alanna & Company· 2025Focuses on the study
    Study reveals e-commerce sites are seeing low sales from traffic generated by ChatGPT

    An e-commerce performance feature that reports on the study to explain why ChatGPT drives visits but converts below traditional channels except paid social, framing trust and OpenAI's Instant Checkout as the barrier while noting conversion improving over the 12 months.

  • PulsePoint Marketing· 2025Mentions the study
    ChatGPT Is Changing Ecommerce — Yet Trust Remains the Ultimate KPI

    A thought-leadership marketing article that draws on the study, based on nearly 1,000 e-commerce sites over 12 months, to argue ChatGPT is reshaping product discovery but not yet conversion, and reframes trust as the decisive KPI brands must win to close that gap.

  • Unique Logo Designs· 2025Focuses on the study
    The AI Traffic Lie: Why ChatGPT E-Commerce Referrals Are Failing to Live Up to the Hype

    An e-commerce marketing analysis that draws on the study to debunk the hype that ChatGPT referrals outperform search, highlighting that organic-LLM traffic is under ~0.2% of sessions and converts below nearly every channel, with affiliate 86% higher.

  • Synolia· 2025Mentions the studyFrench
    De l'UX à l'AX : comment préparer votre site e-commerce à l'ère des agents IA ?

    A French e-commerce-agency guide that draws on the study to frame AI shopping agents (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) as a new acquisition channel whose conversion still trails traditional channels but keeps growing, then lays out three steps to make a site "AX-ready" for agents.

  • AffMaven· 2025Focuses on the studySpanish
    Referencias de comercio electrónico de ChatGPT: ¡El secreto del tráfico generado por IA al descubierto!

    A Spanish-language affiliate-marketing post that reads the study's AI-traffic findings through a performance-marketing lens, leading with the 86% affiliate conversion gap over ChatGPT referrals and noting organic-LLM traffic is only ~0.2% of sessions despite drawing engaged, high-intent visitors.

  • Ali Haris (LinkedIn)· 2025Focuses on the study
    The Truth About ChatGPT Traffic: What $20B in E-Commerce Data Reveals

    A LinkedIn long-read by a marketing analyst frames the study as evidence that ChatGPT is a promising early-stage channel, noting low bounce rates, purposeful shorter sessions, and month-over-month conversion gains despite trailing organic search and email.

  • Dunn (LinkedIn)· 2025Focuses on the study
    The $20 Billion Reality Check: What ChatGPT's First Year in E-Commerce Actually Reveals

    A LinkedIn analysis positions the study as a reality check, stressing that ChatGPT trails organic search by 13% and affiliate by 86% yet arguing major agentic-commerce infrastructure launched only after the measurement window closed.

  • Anthony Laneau (LinkedIn)· 2025Focuses on the study
    4 Surprising Truths About ChatGPT's Impact on E-Commerce (From a $20 Billion Study)

    A LinkedIn long-read unpacking the study's e-commerce data — 973 sites, 164 million transactions — to deflate 'Google killer' hype, noting ChatGPT referrals convert 13% below organic search and beat only paid social.

  • Tasman Analytics· 2025Mentions the study
    Agentic Commerce Won’t Eat Your Analytics (Yet)

    An analytics consultancy's assessment of agentic commerce arguing AI excels at research and discovery while humans keep purchase authority, drawing on the study's conversion gaps to show the structural limits behind rapid traffic growth.

Research & institutions 12

  • IFH Köln· 2026Focuses on the studyGerman
    ChatGPT als Akquisitionskanal – Wie stark ist „Organic LLM Traffic" wirklich?

    A research-institute assessment that uses the study to gauge how strong "organic LLM traffic" really is as an acquisition channel, concluding it still trails established channels but is gaining ground.

  • Tech Xplore· 2026Focuses on the study
    Where ChatGPT already works in online shopping—and where it does not

    A science-news report on the study that splits the verdict by product type — ChatGPT already adds value for complex, information-heavy purchases but lags most channels for simple ones — noting LLM traffic under 0.2% and a rising conversion trend.

  • Fintech Brainfood· 2026Mentions the study
    AI Checkout is Becoming a Reality

    A fintech analysis of agentic-commerce standards (the Universal Commerce Protocol and rival checkout specs) that, weighing whether the category is working yet, turns to the study to temper the hype, noting organic-LLM traffic is still ~0.2% of sessions and converts below nearly every traditional channel.

  • idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft· 2026Focuses on the studyGerman
    Neue Studie: Wo ChatGPT im Online-Shopping schon heute funktioniert – und wo nicht

    A German-language research announcement presenting the study — ChatGPT as a complement for complex, information-heavy purchases while its overall e-commerce traffic stays under 0.2% and converts below established channels.

  • The Sentinel Current· 2026Focuses on the study
    ChatGPT Yet to Challenge Traditional Online Shopping Channels, Study Finds

    An independent newsletter analysis that draws on the study to argue ChatGPT has yet to challenge traditional online shopping channels, reporting that LLM referrals account for under ~0.2% of sessions and trail every major channel except paid social, while AI proves most useful for complex purchases.

  • Frankfurt School· 2026Focuses on the study
    ChatGPT in E-Commerce: New Insights Compared to Traditional Channels

    A research page laying out the study's picture of ChatGPT as a complementary rather than central sales channel — stronger for complex products, with conversion rising even as average order values slip.

  • Tomas Seliokas· 2026Mentions the study
    The 3% Trap Methodology and 221 Sources

    An independent analyst's 221-source evidence register behind a B2B-SaaS AI-visibility analysis, cataloguing the study with unusual methodological care — sample window, first-party data supply, sparsity handling — as its traffic-side benchmark.

  • 武汉大学 MEI 研究中心· 2026Focuses on the studyChinese
    MEI第17次研讨会:ChatGPT Referrals to E-Commerce Websites

    A seminar report from a Chinese marketing-research centre working through the study end to end — data, quasibinomial models, channel coefficients, and the complexity moderation — as the session's sole assigned paper.

  • Nieman Lab· 2025Mentions the study
    ChatGPT drives traffic to e-commerce sites, but not many sales

    A journalism-foundation media-watch capsule that cites the study in its "What We're Reading" column, flagging its central finding that ChatGPT referral traffic converts far worse than traditional channels such as Google Search, email, and affiliate links.

  • Ecommerce Institut· 2025Focuses on the studyGerman
    ChatGPT im E-Commerce: Traffic-Boost ohne Conversion-Wunder

    A research-body report turning the study into retailer guidance, noting the ~13% gap to organic search and that AI-referred visitors bypass the usual trust-building journey.

  • GPT-Chatbot· 2025Mentions the studyRussian
    ChatGPT сохраняет лидирующие позиции в трафике чат-ботов с ИИ с долей 66%

    An AI-chatbot-market year-end roundup that draws on the study within its e-commerce discussion, noting ChatGPT traffic converted below every major digital channel except paid social across 12 months of first-party data from 973 sites with $20 billion in combined revenue, though with favorable bounce rates.

  • University of Hamburg Business School· 2025Focuses on the study
    Are LLMs more powerful than traditional channels?

    A faculty news page laying out the study for a business-school audience: ChatGPT referrals draw engaged visitors but convert below every established channel except paid social, at under 0.2% of e-commerce sessions.

Podcasts & video 7

  • Duane Forrester Decodes· 2026Mentions the study
    Google Went "Not Provided" in 2011 and Blinded Us. ChatGPT Just Shipped Its Version.

    A search-measurement podcast episode arguing item-level attribution from ChatGPT won't materialize cites the study to note organic LLM traffic converts below every traditional channel except paid social across 973 sites and $20 billion in revenue.

  • Billion Dollar Sellers· 2026Mentions the study
    If you sell off Amazon, Google says do this NOW

    A seller-focused podcast episode on the study's nuance: ChatGPT referrals win on conversion for complex products that need explanation, while traditional channels still lead for simple, impulse-driven purchases.

  • Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe· 2025Mentions the study
    Trump Ends Canada Talks, China Pledges 'Self-Reliance', Nigel Farage's BOE Plan

    A Bloomberg Daybreak: Europe segment on the study, reporting that ChatGPT shoppers rank among the least likely to buy while noting the gap narrows month over month as the channel matures.

  • Inside Job Boards· 2025Focuses on the study
    Breaking News: ChatGPT traffic worse than job boards, other sources

    A recruitment-industry podcast episode featuring both authors as guests, unpacking the study's finding that ChatGPT referral traffic converts worse than traditional sources — including, to the hosts' interest, job boards.

  • Alejandro Meyerhans· 2025Focuses on the study
    ChatGPT converts like trash.

    A GEO-series video comparing ChatGPT referrals with traditional channels through the study and the creator's own client data, concluding ChatGPT converts well below search and weighing what that means for SEO-versus-GEO budgets.

  • SEO Research Suite (Olaf Kopp)· 2025Focuses on the study
    Search patent of the week: ChatGPT Referrals to E-Commerce Websites

    An SEO-podcast segment walking through the study — 973 sites, a year of first-party sales data, the conversion and order-value pattern — under a 'patent of the week' banner despite there being no patent to discuss.

  • Webcology· 2025Mentions the study
    The Browser Wars – Rise of AIs Edition

    An SEO podcast on the AI browser wars — ChatGPT Atlas versus Chrome and Edge — that turns to how LLM traffic leans toward research while purchases still favour Google search, echoing the study's core finding.

For journalists

Covering this research

In one paragraph

Organic LLM traffic — shoppers who reach an e-commerce website through ChatGPT rather than search, ads, email, or social — is, one year in, a small but fast-improving channel: under 0.2% of visits, converting and earning per session below every traditional channel except paid social, and running higher-intent for complex, considered purchases.

Key facts

  • First large-scale empirical study of organic LLM (oLLM) traffic to e-commerce.
  • Data: 973 e-commerce websites, ~$20 billion in combined revenue, 164M+ purchases, 50,000+ ChatGPT-referred transactions (Aug 2024 – Jul 2025).
  • ChatGPT is 90%+ of all LLM-referred sessions; oLLM is under 0.2% of all visits.
  • oLLM converts and earns per session below all traditional channels except paid social.
  • It improved over the year and runs higher-intent for complex products, where it already out-converts several channels (~4.6× higher traffic share there).

How to cover it

  • Frame it as a small, fast-improving channel that runs higher-intent for complex products — not "AI doesn't work for commerce," but also not "high-intent across the board."
  • The headline is the channel comparison; the forward-looking angle is steady improvement.
  • "E-commerce websites" here is broad — 24 categories spanning retail, but also finance, travel, vehicles, business services, and law & government — not just online shops.
  • It measures ChatGPT referrals to e-commerce websites (organic LLM traffic) — distinct from on-platform features like Instant Checkout or paid ads.
  • Peer-reviewed and published in Marketing Science (INFORMS), Vol. 45 (4), 699–715, 2026. DOI 10.1287/mksc.2025.0489.

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Contact

Both authors are available for interviews in English and German.

Maximilian Kaiser

Maximilian Kaiser

WU Vienna · Grips Intelligence

Christian Schulze

Christian Schulze

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

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