AI in E-commerce Discovery. A Note for Leadership

As e-commerce evolves, the boundaries between online and in-store purchase are disappearing. Today’s consumers expect seamless experiences, whether they start searching on Google or Perplexity, a product page, a store locator, or scanning a QR code on packaging.

In the past, SEO was about targeting the right keywords to drive traffic to your pages. Today, success is about establishing your brand as a trusted authority, with content that search engines can easily verify, connect, and prioritize.

For e-commerce, this shift presents a major opportunity: product discoverability is no longer just a marketing goal — it’s a critical growth lever that impacts both online revenue and physical store sales.

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AI Transforming the Customer Journey

Modern e-commerce is no longer about just being visible. It’s about being found by the right customers, at the right time, on every channe and guiding them from discovery to purchase.

AI-powered SEO is now a core enabler across the funnel:

Your Website Needs Good Data

If you noticed a drop in your organic traffic in March 2024 after the biggest Google Core Update, you’re not alone. The shift is clear: trustworthiness, expertise, and structured data are now mandatory. With millions of new pages being created daily across the web, building a strong Knowledge Graph is no longer optional,  it’s the foundation for standing out, maintaining visibility, and driving consistent growth in the new AI-powered search ecosystem.

To fully leverage the power of AI and scale efficiently, your data must be structured, accessible, and easy for machines to understand. If your information is scattered, inconsistent, or locked inside outdated systems, you’re limiting your ability to automate marketing, improve search visibility, and meet customers where they are.

Future Of Online Visibility –  Knowledge Graphs

Knowledge graphs help organize and connect all your product and brand data in a way that search engines and AI tools can easily understand. In e-commerce, this means your products are more likely to show up where customers are searching—on Google, marketplaces, or voice assistants. At the same time, knowledge graphs make it easier for your teams to extract insights, spot trends, and make better decisions faster. Instead of scattered data locked in different systems, everything becomes part of one connected view that improves discoverability and performance across channels.

The Numbers

AI doesn’t just improve rankings — it directly drives e-commerce KPIs across channels.

• +200% in Organic Traffic: AI-powered SEO and structured data maximize visibility across Google, marketplaces, and voice search. GadgetFlow Case Study. 
• +20% in Ranking Position: Improved SERP visibility and engagement through semantic SEO and AI-generated content. EssilorLuxottica Case Study.
• +30% in Conversion Rates: AI-driven content and dynamic PDP (Product Detail Page) optimization improve engagement and sales. Eye-oo Case study.
• +87% in Orders / +190% in Revenue: Retailers scaling AI strategies have seen explosive regional growth in months. Scarosso Case Study.

Online to In-Store Purchase

AI and structured data do more than boost online visibility: they connect product discovery with real-world purchases.

By giving each product a digital identity through technologies like GS1 Digital Link, brands can bridge the gap between online search and in-store experience. Shoppers can scan a product’s packaging to instantly access key information like availability, reviews, or promotions, whether they’re browsing online or standing in the aisle. This creates a seamless, more personalized shopping journey that drives both online conversions and in-store sales.

Business Outcomes

• Drive Local Sales from Online Search: Help customers find nearby stores with products in stock, increasing foot traffic and local purchases.
• Turn Packaging into a Sales Channel: Use product packaging to deliver reviews, offers, and tailored content that enhances the in-store experience.
• Use Better Product Info to Sell Smarter: When your product data is clear and well-organized, it’s easier to run effective campaigns, keep operations efficient, and grow your business faster.

At Wordlift we specialise in driving value for top Fortune 500 companies, working across hundreds of websites and scaling their performance.

The way people search is changing and traditional websites alone are no longer enough.

While Google still leads for general searches, nearly 72% of consumers are already using AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot to find information, and 14% use them daily. In fact, 1 in 5 people have changed their main search platform in the past year. This shift marks a new era of product discovery, where consumers expect faster answers, deeper personalization, and results that go beyond the traditional search page.

If your brand isn’t showing up in these new discovery channels, it’s already falling behind. By investing in AI-driven visibility and structured product data, you’re not just improving e-commerce performance, you’re building a future-ready brand that grows with how people shop.

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