Online shops in the AI era: ready for new search behaviours?

AI is changing the demands placed on an online shop

When AI checks product ranges, compares prices and recommends products, it only uses data that it understands, and it is precisely here that a lot of visibility is lost.

Unclear product information, a lack of structure or content that AI cannot interpret correctly. This doesn’t have to be unsettling for shop owners – on the contrary, it opens up opportunities.

Visibility is no longer created only through browsers, but increasingly through conversations with AI. This change is shaping the retail trade gradually, not as a sudden disruption but as a continuous development. This is precisely why it is unnecessary to panic, but makes sense to take a considered approach. AI is changing purchasing behaviour – which is simultaneously opening up both challenges and opportunities.

Staying tuned today, improving your data step by step and experimenting with new technologies will give you the edge you need for tomorrow.

AI is a challenge and an opportunity for online shops

Artificial intelligence is profoundly changing retail. The FHNW online retailer survey shows that over 80 percent of retailers already use AI for marketing or content. But the real change is still to come: the automation of purchasing decisions.

According to Gartner, by 2030, around 30 percent of transactions will be triggered by AI agents and no longer by humans. This means AI systems searching for products, comparing prices and sometimes placing orders autonomously.

For retailers, this has a clear consequence: their online shop needs to be machine-readable in order to be found in the AI era. Instead of search engine optimization (SEO), the focus will now be on GEO or generative engine optimization.

Why structured product data is now becoming crucial

The development towards AI-supported purchase processes is relevant, it will not come overnight. The next few years will be a transition phase and an opportunity for companies to improve their own foundations.

Structured product data ensures that information is displayed correctly. It makes searching easier, reduces queries and increases relevance in AI-based recommendations. This makes data management a key factor in better customer experiences.

Last but not least, the competition is changing: it’s not just the best shopping experience that makes the difference, but also the underlying data. Good product information will become a new sales floor and retailers who adapt to it at an early stage will sell more successfully in the long term.

Despite AI, quality in customer relationships remains your most important distinguishing feature!

Despite technological changes, one thing remains key: the quality of retailers’ relationship with customers. Proximity, advice, reliability and service set Swiss retailers apart, and these values are still relevant.

AI can provide support, simplify processes and free up time. But it doesn’t replace what makes retailers special: genuine affinity, local roots and an understanding of their customers’ needs.

Staying tuned is the most effective step

The pressure to innovate is perceptible, but it can be influenced – for retailers of all sizes. If you strengthen your online shop data today, use AI pragmatically and remain open to new developments, you will secure a clear advantage.

It’s not about solving everything at once. It’s about consistently staying tuned – step by step. This creates security for the future, allowing trade to remain flexible at a time of rapid change.