New findings reveal that ChatGPT is increasingly becoming a significant driver of e-commerce referrals, particularly during the Black Friday shopping weekend, though its overall market share remains small. According to an analysis by the mobile app insights firm Apptopia, referrals from ChatGPT to retail mobile applications surged by 28% year-over-year during the holiday shopping period, spanning from Thanksgiving Thursday through Sunday.
While this growth is notable, it predominantly benefits major retailers. Amazon captured 54% of ChatGPT referrals this year, a substantial rise from 40.5% in 2024. Similarly, Walmart saw its share increase from 2.7% to 14.9% in the same timeframe.
Apptopia’s data, based on observed consumer activity on mobile devices, clarifies that a referral session is defined as a retail app session that occurs within 30 seconds following a ChatGPT interaction. However, despite this year’s increase, referrals from ChatGPT still represent a mere 0.82% of all ChatGPT sessions on Black Friday, up from only 0.64% last year.
Analysts noted that a referral session occurs when ChatGPT provides shopping suggestions or when users click on links during their chat to access retail apps. In a related report, Adobe highlighted an impressive 805% year-over-year increase in AI-generated traffic to U.S. retail sites on Black Friday, revealing that consumers arriving via AI chatbots were 38% more inclined to make a purchase. Notably, Cyber Monday showed a 670% rise in AI traffic, with an overall increase of 760% since the start of the holiday season (November 1 to December 1).
Key Points:
– ChatGPT referrals to retail apps increased by 28% year-over-year during Black Friday.
– Major retailers like Amazon and Walmart benefit most from ChatGPT’s growth.
– Referrals from ChatGPT remain a small fraction of the total referral market.
– AI-generated traffic to U.S. retail sites saw substantial increases during the holiday season.
