Black Friday is approaching, and online sellers are adjusting their strategies to ensure they appear in AI-driven shopping results. New research from Stripe highlights a shift in consumer behavior where traffic referred by AI converts at a significantly higher rate than traditional browsing. Of the merchants surveyed, 76% reported this higher conversion rate, while 58% expect agentic commerce to drive more than 10% of their online revenue within two years.
How shoppers use AI tools
Stripe reports that 82% of consumers use AI tools to help guide their online purchases, and 99% of merchants receive machine-driven traffic.
Salesforce data from the previous Cyber Week offers additional context. Traffic from AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity converted at eight times the rate of social media traffic and tripled year on year. This suggests shoppers are using AI to research options before visiting a retailer’s site. Bellroy, a Melbourne-founded accessories brand, is an early design partner for Stripe’s agentic commerce solutions in the United States. Tyler House, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, noted that customers are asking detailed questions about which products suit them best, resulting in higher-intent shoppers.
What AI agents actually read
PwC Australia published a report in June 2026 explaining how these agents operate. They do not browse a homepage or feel a brand story. Instead, agents take in structured data, product attributes, pricing, and reviews to build recommendations. PwC stated that “search engines rank pages. Large language models rank knowledge.” This means agents draw on more than a single website, including comparison sites, review platforms, Wikipedia, and social media. Google’s AI Mode, which launched in Australia in October 2025, is one example of this process.
When AI search results fall short, consumers take notice. According to Stripe, 35% of dissatisfied shoppers found suggestions to be too generic, 29% encountered inaccurate product information, and 28% were directed to products unavailable in Australia. Such failures often occur when retailers fail to provide AI assistants with up-to-date, accessible data.
Steps to prepare for Black Friday
Maintaining current price and stock information is key. Stripe’s survey revealed that 44% of businesses are revamping their catalogues for AI compatibility, 42% are upgrading to modern API platforms, and 36% are implementing real-time inventory and pricing systems. The fact that 28% of shoppers were sent to products not available in Australia highlights the importance of clearly stating availability. It is also essential to ensure that AI agents can work through the site without being obstructed by CAPTCHAs, pop-ups, or authentication flows. A study by Time Under Tension, reported by B&T, found that some major sites inadvertently blocked shoppers using browser agents.
Accuracy and consumer approval
Consumers still want control over their spending. Stripe found that 61% of Australians are hesitant to allow AI agents to make purchases without explicit approval, citing concerns over security, fraud, and loss of control. Only 22% are comfortable with AI agents completing transactions. Accuracy is also vital for sellers, as the ACCC’s December 2025 snapshot on AI notes that product images and descriptions generated by AI can be used to make false claims about a product’s performance or characteristics. For sellers using AI to generate product pages, it is key to review the content before it goes live.
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