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The State of Conversational Commerce in 2026
Trend #2
Conversations are the new path to checkout
Conversational commerce has disrupted the traditional ecommerce path to purchase. The entire process of browsing, clicking, and adding to cart is being replaced by a two-way conversation. Instead of static pages, customers are taking to the chat window, email, SMS, or Voice to discover products, validate concerns, and place orders.
The evolution of the typical shopper's journey
AI-first shopping is here. Customers are turning to LLMs for tailored product recommendations and conversing with AI-powered tools on websites.
Page-based customer journey
Customer recognizes a need.
Search Google, social media, marketplaces, or favorite stores.
Browses multiple stores, collections, and product pages across sessions.
Evaluates options by reading product descriptions, reviews, FAQs, and comparison content.
Leaves without purchasing or adds to cart but abandons.
Is re-engaged through retargeted ads, emails, and push notifications.
Returns to the site, re-evaluates options, and eventually checks out.
Contacts customer support after purchase for order tracking, updates, or issues.
Conversation-led customer journey
Customer recognizes a need.
Customer starts a conversation via live chat, messaging, social, voice, or search-triggered prompt.
AI agent asks clarifying questions to understand intent, preferences, budget, and constraints.
AI provides personalized product recommendations in real time, answering questions as they arise.
Customer simultaneously validates product and policy concerns inside the conversation about fit, compatibility, delivery, returns, and installation.
AI proactively surfaces relevant information, like reviews, comparisons, FAQs, shipping timelines, and product details.
Customer completes purchase directly within or immediately after the conversation.
AI contextually picks up the conversation post-purchase for order tracking, updates, and proactive support.
Human agents step in only when needed for complex, emotional, or high-stakes scenarios.
Conversational AI is influencing revenue and ROI
79% of brands agree that AI-driven conversational commerce has increased sales and conversion in their business.
AI revenue uplift from conversational AI over the past 12 months
By adopting AI Agent’s shopping assistant capabilities to provide one-to-one personal shopping at scale, Gorgias customers saw more conversations turn into purchases.
AI turned more conversations into purchases quarter after quarter
AI-only influenced orders
Human-only influenced orders
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# of conversations linked to an order
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# of conversations linked to an order
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# of conversations linked to an order
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# of conversations linked to an order
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Conversational commerce is becoming a strategic priority
Creating one-to-one touchpoints with customers earlier in the journey is having a clear impact on the bottom line: higher AOV, shorter buying cycles, and higher conversion rates. Winning brands recognize that conversational commerce is a key driver and are prioritizing it in 2026.
Brands are betting on conversational commerce
84%
of brands say the
strategic importance of conversational commerce
is higher than it was one year ago.
82%
agree that conversational commerce through
AI will be mainstream in their sector within two years.
Conversations have transformed from WISMOs and warranty claims into an integral part of how customers discover, evaluate, and purchase products.
TUSHY, a personal hygiene brand offering eco-friendly bidets and bathroom essentials, used Gorgias’s AI Agent and its shopping assistant capabilities to automate pre-sales support, boost chat conversions by 190%, and achieve a 13x ROI with twice the conversion rate of human agents.
By using conversational pre-sales education and real-time back-and-forth chat, TUSHY built customer confidence around bidet fit and installation, turning curiosity into immediate purchase intent.
By using conversational pre-sales education and real-time back-and-forth chat, TUSHY built customer confidence around bidet fit and installation, turning curiosity into immediate purchase intent.