The New D2C Growth Channel: Why Conversational Commerce Matters in 2026

The conversational commerce market is exploding. 

From $12.94 billion in 2025, the market has grown to $14.11 billion in 2026. It is predicted to grow to $18.39 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% [6].

Image 1: Conversational Commerce Market Report 2026, Source: The Business Research Company

The numbers aren't surprising, given the experience it creates for customers.

Conversational commerce successfully combines the shopping experience most of us grew up with, with the benefits of e-commerce that got us closer to pretty much anything we want. It brings the best of both worlds, while still relying on traditional trust signals 

This gives D2C brands a clear path to follow.

It is not about implementing AI for the sake of AI. It is about recognising the current customer expectations and responding to them to increase your conversion rates, decrease bounce rates and cart abandonment, and ultimately positively impact your return on digital investment.

What is conversational commerce?

Conversational commerce is no longer limited to chatbots on e-commerce websites. Today, it spans the entire customer journey, from the very first product discovery to post-purchase support.

For D2C brands, conversational commerce consists of three equally important touchpoints:

External LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity are increasingly becoming places where the customer journey begins. They are used for discovery, and the impact they have on ecommerce is becoming impossible to ignore. Brand AI is what takes over once the customer arrives on your website.

If the conversation brought them there, the conversation should take over and close the sale. If a brand wants to keep their customers, they have to work on a continuous conversation, one lasting throughout the customer journey. 

AI Discovery: Where customers are starting their shopping journey

For years, search engines have been the starting point of ecommerce with customers searching, comparing, browsing product pages, reading reviews and eventually making a decision.

Now they increasingly ask AI to do much of that work for them. For brands, this means visibility is no longer just about ranking on Google. It is increasingly about becoming part of AI-generated answers.

Recent data shows just how quickly this behaviour is changing:

• 39% of consumers have already used generative AI for shopping. [1]
• 85% of those consumers said AI improved their shopping experience. [1]
• 66% believe AI provides better and more accurate shopping recommendations. [1]
• 55% use AI for product research weekly [2] 
• 50% made a purchase after researching with AI [2]
• 43% learned about a new brand after researching with AI [2]
• 48% spent longer time on site with 13% more pages viewed and 12% higher overall engagement [1]

Adobe's latest research shows consumers increasingly view AI as a practical shopping assistant rather than a novelty, using it to compare products, narrow options, and make more confident purchase decisions before they ever visit a retailer's website.

Below you can see how often and for which particular (shopping) actions AI is used:

Image 2: AI Consumer Usage, Source: Semrush

AI-generated traffic is becoming higher-quality traffic

AI is changing the quality of traffic that reaches ecommerce websites.

Adobe analysed more than one trillion visits to US retail websites and found that visitors arriving from AI sources behave differently from those arriving through traditional channels.

• AI referral traffic grew 393% year over year (Q1 2026 vs. Q1 2025).
• AI-referred visitors converted 42% better than non-AI traffic.
• AI-referred visitors spent 48% more time on websites than visitors from traditional channels.
• AI-referred visitors had a 12% higher engagement rate than non-AI visitors.
• AI-referred visitors viewed 13% more pages per visit than visitors from traditional channels.

One statistic stands out above the rest: In March 2025, AI-referred visitors converted 38% worse than visitors from traditional channels. Just one year later, in March 2026, they converted 42% better.

It suggests the switch to AI discovery was, due to its conversational nature, quickly adopted. It also suggests that is where your brand needs to be.

Brand AI: The conversation shouldn't stop at your homepage

Many shoppers still arrive through Google Search, paid advertising, email campaigns, social media, influencer content or by typing your URL directly into their browser.

In fact, 77% of consumers use a combination of AI and traditional search [2].

But regardless of how they arrive, their expectations have changed:

• 71% of consumers want generative AI integrated into their shopping experience, including retailer websites and apps, to help with product discovery, comparisons and recommendations. [3] 
• 69% of consumers say they are likely to use an AI shopping assistant on a retailer's website. [3] 
• Conversational search helps users convert at rates between 200% and 300% higher than standard filters and categories.
• Return rates can reduce by up to 78% after conversational consultation.
• Conversational AI has helped ecommerce brands achieve 50% larger average order values
• Klarna’s AI assistant delivered approximately $39 million in cost savings in 2024, handled around 80% of customer service chats, and performed work equivalent to more than 700 full-time agents. [4]

Customer Experience as Competitive Advantage

One of the reasons AI was so quickly accepted as a discovery agent in customer journeys is the fact it offers a personal experience similar to that of a personal conversation within a store.

A recent study by Accenture reports that as much as 74% of consumers would trust an AI over their best friend to make a purchase for them. This is not surprising data: AI gives you a non-biased recommendation, based on detailed research and overall reviews available.

Customers expect personalised experiences. They want the brand to understand them and their needs, to know exactly what they are looking for - even before they know it themselves:

• 84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services [5].
• 73% of customers expect companies to understand their individual needs and expectations [5].

Next Steps for D2C Brands

D2C brands that capture market share will be those that master both ends of the funnel: optimising for discovery inside external LLMs, and meeting visitors with intelligent, consultative Brand AI the moment they land on-site.

You need to build your website for the Discoverer - the modern customer. Start by scoring your website to identify areas for improvement, then get detailed instructions on how to take back control of the customer.

Resources

[1] Adobe Digital Insights. "2026 Q2 AI Traffic Report." Adobe Business. 2026. https://business.adobe.com/resources/sdk/2026-q2-ai-traffic-report.html

[2] Margarita Loktionova. "How AI Tools Influence the Modern Buyer Journey: A Survey of 1,000+ US Consumers." Semrush. 2026. https://www.semrush.com/blog/ai-tools-the-modern-buyer-journey-study

[3] Capgemini Research Institute. "What matters to today's consumer: 2025." Capgemini. 2025. https://www.capgemini.com/insights/research-library/what-matters-to-todays-consumer-2025

[4] Klarna Group plc. "Form 424B4." U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 2025. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2003292/000200329225000052/klarnagroupplc424b4.htm

[5] Salesforce. "State of the AI Connected Customer." Salesforce. 2026. https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/

[6] The Business Research Company. "Conversational Commerce Market Trends Report 2026." The Business Research Company. 2026. https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/conversational-commerce-global-market-report