Walmart’s Advantage as AI Becomes a New Source of Shopper Traffic

A quiet shift in digital shopping is underway. Data from Similarweb shows that in August, about one in five of Walmart’s referral clicks came from ChatGPT. That is a sharp increase from the previous month and evidence that artificial intelligence tools are beginning to change how consumers find and buy products online.

Walmart is not alone in seeing this trend. ChatGPT drove more than 20 percent of referral traffic to Etsy, nearly 15 percent to Target, and about 10 percent to eBay. Although referrals still account for less than five percent of total visits to these retail sites, the pace of growth shows that AI-driven browsing is quickly gaining influence.

A new working paper from OpenAI’s Economic Research team and Harvard economist David Deming found that roughly two percent of all ChatGPT interactions involve shopping-related questions. That equates to nearly 50 million product-focused queries a day. Shoppers are asking for help finding “the best laptop under $1,000” or “where to buy Nikes,” topics that used to belong to traditional search engines.

According to a separate study from Omnisend, nearly six in ten U.S. consumers have already used a generative AI tool to assist with online shopping. That includes everything from product discovery to comparing features and prices.

Amazon Takes a Different Path

While Walmart, Target, and eBay have allowed ChatGPT and other agents to link directly to their sites, Amazon has done the opposite. It has expanded its blocking of AI crawlers, limiting access to product listings and data. In August, Amazon’s referral traffic from ChatGPT fell nearly 18 percent, dropping below three percent overall.

That move protects Amazon’s massive advertising business, which depends on shoppers browsing within its own marketplace. Instead of relying on third-party chatbots, Amazon is investing in its own AI assistant, Rufus, which appears inside the main search bar and as a chat window on its site. Customers have now asked Rufus more than half a billion questions, and Amazon has begun integrating sponsored placements inside the tool.

Walmart’s Strategy on AI Agents

In contrast, Walmart is taking a more collaborative approach. Its Chief Technology Officer, Hari Vasudev, recently told The Wall Street Journal that he expects the industry to adopt shared standards that will eventually allow outside shopping agents to interact directly with retailers’ systems. That openness helps explain why Walmart has become more visible in AI-powered product recommendations.

It also aligns with Walmart’s broader AI roadmap. The company has been developing its own internal “agentic” tools designed to support associates, improve forecasting, and enhance the customer experience online and in stores. Keeping the platform accessible to other agents allows Walmart to serve shoppers wherever they choose to begin their search.

Monetizing the Next Phase

For now, referral traffic from ChatGPT is essentially free. But that may not last long. The Financial Times has reported that OpenAI is testing payment and checkout features inside ChatGPT, creating potential for future transaction fees, affiliate models, or paid product placements. If that happens, the current referral landscape could look very different within a year.

Analyst Juozas Kaziukėnas notes that the AI traffic spike is unlikely to stay cost-free. He predicts that as more commerce moves inside chat environments, AI platforms will seek to capture a portion of the transaction value.

What It Means for Walmart Suppliers

For Walmart suppliers and sellers, these shifts matter. AI is becoming a new discovery channel that complements search, social, and retail media. To make the most of it, suppliers should ensure that product data is complete, structured, and clear. Item descriptions should focus on accuracy and benefits so AI systems can understand and recommend products correctly.

Suppliers can also begin tracking referral traffic from AI tools in analytics platforms and measure engagement metrics separately. Understanding which products are surfacing through ChatGPT and similar assistants can reveal early opportunities to strengthen visibility and conversion.

The Takeaway

Walmart’s openness to AI-driven traffic gives it an advantage at a time when conversational commerce is still taking shape. The company is gaining exposure among shoppers who begin their journey inside chat platforms rather than search engines. For suppliers, the message is clear: optimize product data now, measure traffic from AI sources, and prepare for a future where the shopping journey could start in a conversation.

Winning With Walmart

Winning With Walmart is an independent platform for suppliers, sellers, solution providers, and industry experts.

Articles are developed by staff editors, contributing experts, and trusted partners.

Some are researched and drafted with the assistance of AI tools and are reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by Winning With Walmart editors before publication.

Editorial judgment, sourcing decisions, and final approval rest with the publication's human editors in every case.

We are committed to accuracy and fairness. If you believe this article contains an error, we welcome your feedback.