Recent analysis reveals that ChatGPT is increasingly serving as a referral source for e-commerce mobile apps, even as its overall market share remains modest. Research by Apptopia underscores notable growth during this year’s Black Friday shopping weekend.

Insightful Data From The Holiday Season

During the Black Friday period—from Thanksgiving Day through Sunday—referrals from ChatGPT to retailer mobile apps experienced a 28% year-over-year growth, according to Apptopia’s U.S. panel data. Although these figures are estimates based on observed mobile activity rather than first-party data, they offer clear indicators of ChatGPT’s evolving role as a shopping guide.

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Big Retailers Capitalize While Smaller Players Lag

The data further reveals that the advantage gained by industry giants is substantial. Amazon’s share of ChatGPT referrals surged from 40.5% to 54% in 2024, while Walmart saw its share increase from 2.7% to 14.9%. Such trends suggest that large retailers are leveraging AI effectively to enhance visibility and conversion, arguably at the expense of smaller market players.

Defining A Referral And Its Impact

In this context, a referral session is defined as any instance in which a retail mobile app session commences within 30 seconds of a ChatGPT session—whether by receiving a shopping suggestion or by clicking a direct link in the chat. Despite a noticeable uptick from 0.64% last year to 0.82% this year on Black Friday alone, referrals from ChatGPT still represent a small slice of the overall e-commerce referral market.

Complementary Insights From Adobe

Corroborative findings from Adobe further illustrate this surge in AI-driven traffic. Adobe reported an 805% year-over-year increase in AI referrals to U.S. retail sites on Black Friday, with users coming through AI chatbots being 38% more likely to complete a purchase. On Cyber Monday, the increase stood at 670%, and overall AI traffic during the November 1 to December 1 window soared by 760%.

These developments illustrate a transformative period in e-commerce, as AI continues to reshape consumer engagement. For now, while ChatGPT’s footprint in e-commerce referrals is still emerging, its influence appears poised to expand—potentially redefining retail competition in the near future.