Do AI-referred visitors convert better?
Fewer but better, they say. The data says it depends: yes in research-heavy categories, no in impulse ones.
The upside
Seer Interactive's widely cited benchmark found ChatGPT-referred sessions converting at 15.9% and Perplexity at 10.5% — well above typical organic. The logic holds: the user already asked, got an answer and narrowed the field before arriving.
The honest caveat
A twelve-month study covering 973 sites and roughly $20bn in revenue found ChatGPT referrals underperforming Google organic on transactional purchases by about 13%. Not a contradiction — a split. AI referrals over-perform in research-heavy verticals and under-perform in impulse categories.
What it means for you
Long-consideration sectors are exactly where AI referrals work. Low-basket e-commerce is where shifting budget would be premature. Without source-level measurement you cannot tell which side you are on.