ChatGPT Drives Traffic, But Not Sales
ChatGPT is not (yet) the future of shopping. A commentary by Verena Gründel.
Is ChatGPT the future of shopping? Not yet.
The numbers tell a different story. Yes, ChatGPT is sending users to e-commerce sites—but those users rarely convert.
A new study from the University of Hamburg and Frankfurt School analyzed over 50,000 ChatGPT-driven transactions and compared them to traditional channels like Google Search. The findings are clear: affiliate links convert 86 percent better than ChatGPT referrals. Even organic search outperforms ChatGPT by 13 percent. Only paid social performs worse—instant budget burner.
The pressure on retailers is growing. Visibility on Google is dropping fast, and many online shops, especially small and mid-sized ones, are reporting sharp traffic declines, in some cases by 40, 50, even more percent. At the same time, LLMs like ChatGPT are gaining ground. But the traffic they generate doesn’t (yet) translate into sales.
Why? The study offers a clue: visitors from ChatGPT are curious but hesitant.
They click—but don’t buy. The missing link? Trust. Users seek advice in ChatGPT, but they still prefer to complete their purchase in environments they know and trust. The chat isn’t the final stop of the customer journey, it’s (perhaps) just an early detour.
That’s why: the priority now is building trust—exactly where buying decisions begin. In the world of LLMs, it’s not the last click that counts, but the first recommendation.
If ChatGPT mentions your brand, you get attention. If your shop turns that attention into trust, you don’t just win traffic—you win customers.
Second lever: emotion over information. ChatGPT delivers facts—not shopping desire. What’s missing is inspiration. That’s the opportunity. Retailers can win by embracing emotion, surprise, and storytelling. It’s not about explaining products—it’s about staging the shopping experience.
Third lever: operationalize trust. OpenAI’s “Instant Checkout” is an intriguing experiment—but it will only succeed if users feel safe buying directly within ChatGPT.
Retailers can help close the gap with trust signals: authenticity badges, customer reviews, transparent return policies. Digital proof points that LLMs can read and pass along.
And finally: it’s time to rethink the journey!
Old-school attribution no longer works. Who really drove the purchase? The chat? The website? The creator? Future KPIs will need to measure not just conversions—but influence.
For retailers willing to experiment, this is a window of opportunity. Those who position themselves now will gain share. Those who wait will lose.
AI commerce isn’t a trend to prepare for. It’s already here.
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