Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising ecommerce, with tools like ChatGPT leading the charge. These AI-driven platforms are transforming how consumers shop online, moving from traditional search engines to conversational interfaces that offer personalised recommendations and streamlined purchasing experiences. For South African merchants, adapting to this shift is crucial to remain competitive in the evolving digital marketplace.
The rise of conversational commerce
In April 2025, OpenAI introduced new shopping features to ChatGPT, enabling users to receive personalised product recommendations, view visual product details, compare prices, read reviews and access direct purchase links—all within a single conversational interface. Unlike traditional search engines, ChatGPT’s results are generated organically by AI, without paid advertisements, offering a more authentic shopping experience.
This development signifies a broader trend towards conversational commerce, where AI chatbots facilitate direct shopping experiences. Visa, for instance, announced plans to integrate its payment network into AI systems, allowing users to input payment information once and make various purchases through natural conversations. Such integrations aim to reduce checkout times and improve user convenience, aligning with consumer expectations for efficient digital commerce.
Why merchants must adapt their online stores to AI
The rise of AI-powered shopping is more than just a technological trend—it’s a profound shift in how consumers discover and purchase products. According to Adobe Analytics, traffic to US retail websites from generative AI sources surged by 1,200% between July 2024 and January 2025. This dramatic increase highlights a fundamental change in the digital shopping journey, where consumers are now relying on tools like ChatGPT for product discovery and recommendations.
For South African merchants, this signals a critical need to rethink how online stores are structured and how products are presented. If your website isn’t optimised for AI indexing or lacks the kind of structured content these systems rely on, you risk missing out on a growing share of online shoppers who are using conversational AI as their primary shopping assistant.
Merchants who fail to adapt may see a steady decline in organic visibility—while those who embrace AI-driven tools and optimisation will be best positioned to capture this emerging traffic and convert it into sales.
Strategies for optimising online stores for AI integration
As AI tools like ChatGPT play a bigger role in guiding online shopping decisions, merchants must ensure their ecommerce platforms are built to communicate effectively with these systems. Unlike traditional search engines, generative AI platforms rely heavily on structured, machine-readable content, contextual cues and high-quality visuals to interpret and recommend products.
Optimising your online store for AI means going beyond basic SEO—it’s about making your product information accessible and attractive to AI models that now shape consumer choices.
Here are five key strategies to help you get started:
1. Structured product data
AI systems like ChatGPT need clean, structured data to understand and recommend your products accurately. Use formats such as JSON-LD or schema.org markup to include key information—like product names, descriptions, prices, availability and customer reviews. This makes it easier for AI to index your content and match it to relevant customer queries.
2. High-quality visual content
With ChatGPT and similar platforms now showing visual product results, your imagery matters more than ever. Include high-resolution images, multiple angles and even short videos or 360-degree product views. Clear and appealing visuals not only enhance user experience but also improve the chances of your products being selected by AI recommendation engines.
3. Personalised recommendations
Implement AI-powered personalisation on your site. Tools that track user behaviours and offer tailored product suggestions can increase conversion rates. This also aligns your store experience with the personalised nature of AI-driven shopping tools like ChatGPT.
4. Integration with AI platforms
Stay ahead by actively exploring partnerships or feed integrations with AI tools. OpenAI, for example, is inviting select merchants to integrate product catalogues directly into ChatGPT’s shopping recommendations. Being part of these early initiatives could give your brand a competitive edge in discoverability and customer engagement.
5. Enhanced customer support with AI
Chatbots powered by AI can handle most customer queries, offering fast, 24/7 support without needing human intervention. These tools not only streamline operations but also meet the rising consumer expectation for instant, always-on service—something generative AI tools have helped normalise.
AI is already transforming ecommerce, with platforms like ChatGPT reshaping how consumers discover and shop online. To stay competitive, merchants must adapt—by embracing AI tools, optimising product data and enhancing personalisation—to thrive in this evolving digital landscape.
