How customers find products with AI and what it means for your store

I recently attended a Stripe webinar called "Preparing for the rise of agentic commerce with Stripe and Microsoft". It covered how AI is changing the way people shop online. Most of what was discussed will affect larger retailers first, but the underlying shift matters for every online store owner.

Here is what I took away from it, explained without the jargon.

People are already using AI instead of Google to find products

According to research from Capgemini, 58% of consumers have already started using AI tools instead of traditional search engines when looking for product recommendations. That is more than half.

Some of this is intentional. People choose AI because search results have become cluttered with ads and SEO-optimised content that does not actually help. But some of it is happening by default. When you search on Google today, you often get AI-generated answers through Gemini before you see any traditional results.

Either way, the shift is happening whether store owners are paying attention or not.

What "AI shopping" actually looks like

If you have not tried this yourself, here is how it works. Someone opens ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or a similar tool and types something like:

"I need a ceramic travel mug that keeps drinks hot for at least four hours, preferably handmade, under forty pounds."

The AI searches, compares options, reads reviews, and comes back with recommendations. The shopper can ask follow-up questions, narrow down choices, and eventually pick one.

In some cases, they can now complete the purchase right there in the chat without ever visiting a website.

This is different from how Google works. With Google, you get a list of links and you do the comparing yourself. With AI tools, the comparing happens for you. The AI acts as a helpful shop assistant who has already done the research.

These buyers arrive with higher intent

Stripe shared that sign-ups from AI tools have increased threefold since early 2025. But the interesting part is not just the volume. It is the quality of these visitors.

Shoppers who arrive through AI tend to be closer to making a purchase. They have already done their comparing, read summaries of reviews, and narrowed down their options. By the time they reach your store, they are not browsing. They are ready to buy.

Think about your own experience. When you spend twenty minutes researching something and finally find the right option, you are much more likely to buy than someone who just stumbled across your site.

Most online stores are not set up for this

Here is where it gets complicated. Even though AI tools are good at finding products, they struggle to actually complete purchases on most websites.

There are three main problems:

Fraud protection blocks them. For years, online stores have been built to detect and block automated traffic. Bots meant spam, scraping, or fraud. But AI shopping assistants behave like bots too. They browse programmatically, compare prices automatically, and do not move a mouse like a human would. Many stores block them without realising it.

Checkout flows confuse them. Multi-step checkouts with account creation, address validation, payment forms, and confirmation pages were designed for humans clicking through. AI tools can lose track of where they are, fail partway through, or simply give up. The checkout process most stores use was never designed for this.

Payment security is a problem. Asking an AI tool to enter your card details into a standard checkout form raises obvious security concerns. The credentials could be exposed. This is why newer solutions are being built differently.

What is being built to solve this

This is where the webinar got into the technical details. The short version: Stripe and others are building new systems that let AI tools complete purchases safely, without the problems above.

The key points for store owners:

• You remain the seller. The transaction happens with your business, not with ChatGPT or Microsoft.

• Your prices and stock levels stay accurate. The AI sees the same information as your website shows.

• Fraud protection is handled differently. Instead of blocking all automated traffic, these systems can tell the difference between helpful AI tools and actual threats.

• One integration works across multiple AI platforms. You do not need to build separate connections for ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and whatever comes next.

In January 2026, Stripe announced that Microsoft Copilot now supports in-chat purchases using this system. Other platforms will follow.

What this means for small stores right now

If you run a small e-commerce store, you do not need to rush out and integrate anything. This technology is still new and currently limited to select larger retailers.

But here is what is worth understanding:

The way customers discover products is changing. SEO and Google Ads are not going away, but they are no longer the only game. A growing number of potential customers will find you through AI recommendations rather than search results.

Product information matters more than ever. AI tools work best when they have clear, accurate, detailed product data to work with. Descriptions, specifications, pricing, availability, and return policies all feed into what AI recommends. Sloppy product data means AI might skip over you entirely.

This is a new sales channel, not a replacement. Think of AI shopping as another way customers can find and buy from you, alongside your existing website, marketplaces, and social channels. The stores that benefit first will be those paying attention early.

Practical steps to consider

While the full integration tools are not available to small stores yet, you can prepare:

• Audit your product data. Are your descriptions clear and complete? Do you have accurate stock levels? Are prices kept up to date? This is the foundation AI tools need.

• Check your structured data. If your site uses schema markup for products, that helps AI tools understand what you sell. If it does not, this is worth adding.

• Watch what your payment provider announces. If you use Stripe, Shopify, or similar platforms, they will likely roll out AI commerce features over time. Being aware means you can act when it becomes available.

• Try it yourself. Ask ChatGPT or Copilot to find products similar to what you sell. See what comes up. Notice how the AI makes recommendations. This gives you a feel for how your customers might experience it.

The shift is real, but do not panic

AI shopping is a genuine change in how customers find and buy products. It is not hype. But it is also not an emergency.

For most small stores, the practical advice is: understand what is happening, get your product data in order, and be ready to act when the tools become more accessible. The best AI features are the ones that work quietly in the background, making things easier without requiring you to rebuild everything.

If you want to explore how AI might affect your specific store, I can help you think through the options without overcomplicating things.