All Star Elite, a streetwear brand operating roughly 60 physical stores across the US alongside an expanding online presence, is adjusting its digital approach as AI-powered shopping tools gain traction. Digital sales represent about a quarter of the company’s revenue.
In recent weeks, AI-driven traffic accounted for approximately 1% of the retailer’s website visits, according to Abhishek Bora, the firm’s head of growth. “It’s not a lot, but I mean it was nowhere before,” he said. Since Meta introduced its AI assistant, Muse, last September, Bora observed a few purchases a week originating from the bot. Bora said, “I know it’s small, but we have been optimizing for it,” regarding Muse visits.
With the holiday shopping season approaching, businesses like All Star Elite must finalize their AI commerce strategies. AI traffic to US retail sites is expected to double on Black Friday and Cyber Monday compared to last year, according to Adobe, and AI traffic is already converting to sales at higher rates than non-AI visits.
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Recognizing that AI agents interpret data differently than humans, Bora’s team has begun enriching product listings with structured, machine-readable details. For example, specifying whether a sneaker suits marathon training or nightlife could improve its ranking in AI-driven searches.
Bora also highlighted a shift in how promotions are structured. Traditionally crafted to appeal to human shoppers, discounts now must factor in how AI tools might evaluate them. This adjustment comes as retailers prioritize aligning holiday deals with AI assistant preferences, per industry experts. Major players are responding differently: Walmart recently expanded tools to streamline third-party AI agent transactions on its platform, while Amazon has restricted access to external bots like Muse, instead steering users toward its proprietary assistant, Alexa.
They want to verify it,” he said.
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