Guide
Where AI helps an online store, what the research says about results, the risks to watch and how to start with one small, measurable job.
Updated 7 min read
The short answer
AI in e-commerce means software that reads, writes, predicts and decides on store tasks, such as answering customers, writing product content, recommending items and forecasting demand. It matters because shoppers and retailers are both adopting it quickly.
Key points
In simple terms, AI in e-commerce is software that handles store work that used to need a person reading, writing or judging. It answers a customer, drafts a product page or flags a risky order.
Retail AI is not one tool. Most artificial intelligence retail solutions handle one job, such as support, merchandising, pricing, stock or returns.
Some call it AI in commerce or AI-powered commerce; the idea is the same.
89%
of retail and CPG companies use or assess AI
97%
expect AI spending to rise next fiscal year
$40.74B
projected AI in retail market by 2030
AI-powered retail is already common: NVIDIA's 2025 survey of retail and consumer packaged goods companies found 89% using AI or assessing AI projects, including pilots, up from 82% in 2023.
The same survey reported that 97% expected AI spending to increase in the next fiscal year.
Grand View Research sized the AI in retail market at USD 11.61 billion in 2024 and projects USD 40.74 billion by 2030. It also reports North America held a 33.4% revenue share in 2024.
Support is where many stores start. An assistant answers order status, shipping and return questions at any hour and hands harder cases to a person.
Walmart describes a customer support assistant that recognizes who the customer is from the start and takes actions, like finding orders and managing returns.
For a smaller store the same idea applies: connect the assistant to your order data, not just a help page.
Our guide to AI in customer service covers this function in more depth.
Generative AI in ecommerce drafts product titles, descriptions, ad copy and email text. It saves time on large catalogs, where writing every page by hand is slow.
Treat the output as a draft. Someone should check specs, sizes, materials and claims before anything is published.
1,300%
rise in generative AI traffic to US retail sites, holidays 2024
39%
of US consumers have used generative AI to shop
46%
unlikely to let an AI assistant handle a whole shopping trip
Recommendations suggest items based on what a shopper viewed or bought. AI in online shopping is also changing how people find products at all.
Adobe Digital Insights reported that traffic to US retail sites from generative AI sources rose 1,300 percent between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024, compared with the year before.
In its survey, 39 percent of consumers had used generative AI for online shopping and 53 percent planned to this year.
Walmart's research adds a caution: 46% of respondents said they were unlikely to let a digital assistant handle an entire shopping trip.
AI in retail analytics starts with forecasting. Models use past sales, seasons and promotions to estimate demand, and better estimates mean fewer stockouts and less cash tied up in slow stock.
Price matters to shoppers: the IBM Institute for Business Value found 62% said price is a top reason they switch stores or brands. Any automated price change should stay within limits you set.
Our AI forecasting page shows how this works on a company's own data.
Returns and fraud checks follow patterns that AI can read. It can sort return reasons, flag unusual orders and send routine cases down a fast path.
Automation in ecommerce also covers order updates, back-office entry and reporting. A person should review anything that blocks a customer or an order. E-commerce automation work focuses on these steps.
87%
say AI had a positive impact on revenue
94%
say AI helped reduce operating costs
27,500
retail trade jobs projected to be lost, 2025 to 2035
NVIDIA's survey reports that 87% of respondents said AI had a positive impact on annual revenue and 94% said it helped reduce annual operational costs.
These are self-reported answers from retail and consumer packaged goods companies, not a promise for any one store.
The risks are practical. Wrong answers reach customers, bad data produces bad forecasts, and some roles shrink.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects retail trade will lose about 27,500 jobs from 2025 to 2035 as e-commerce limits employment in retail outlets.
The FTC finalized a rule banning fake reviews and testimonials, including AI-generated ones, and can seek civil penalties against violators. It has also said there is no AI exemption from the laws on the books.
So do not publish AI-written reviews as real customer reviews. Do not overstate what your AI can do in ads. Handle customer data under your existing privacy duties.
Pick one repetitive job, such as order-status questions. Measure how many hours it takes today, then test the automated version on real cases before it goes live.
Keep a person approving anything with a legal or money impact. Add the next job only after the first one works.
Our data
We asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity 10 buyer questions about AI for e-commerce brands. They named 130 companies, and 82% appeared in only one of the three.
| Criterion | ChatGPT | Gemini | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companies named | 45 | 52 | 64 |
| Sites cited most | shopify.com (5 of 10) | vellum.ai (4 of 10) | pearllemonai.com and aiagencyradar.com (2 of 10) |
Nexum measurement, October 20, 2026, via DataForSEO: 10 buyer questions to each AI, US English, 30 answers in total. 7 companies appeared in all three. Google showed an AI Overview for 8 of the 10 questions.
FAQ
Final step
You leave knowing which processes to automate first and what each one costs you today, whether we work together or not.
You can keep paying for manual work, or find out this week exactly what it costs you.
What happens on the call
Before
You answer 3 quick questions when you book, so we come prepared.
On the call
We find the manual work that costs you most and put a number on it, live.
Decide
An honest read on whether we're the right fit. If we're not, you'll hear it on the call.
Once you book, we look at your site and tools before the call, so the 30 minutes go to your numbers, not introductions.
Prefer to write first? Email us directly: contact@nexumautomations.com
