Furniture retailer Povison considers traffic referrals from artificial intelligence (AI) platforms to be a “meaningful new growth area,” according to its founder and CEO, Ayden Lin.

That traffic to its site has increased faster than the retailer initially expected, he told Digital Commerce 360. As a result, Povison has begun incorporating AI search and generative discovery into its broader ecommerce strategy, he said. In doing so, Povison seeks to improve its content reach and operating efficiency. The retailer is also working to improve customer service automation and convert more customer inquiries into sales, Lin said.

“The trend is also pushing us to think more deliberately about how Povison appears across the wider content ecosystem,” Lin said. “That includes deeper brand storytelling, structured product data and credible thought leadership through industry media. AI-referred traffic is now an important part of how we think about brand visibility.”

Data from Adobe Analytics indicates that 39% of content on U.S. retailers’ homepages is not machine-readable for large language models (LLMs). For the retailers’ sites it analyzed in the Home Furnishings category, that was 36%.

That compares to other categories such as apparel and electronics, where at least 70% of homepage content was machine-readable. Still, overall traffic to retailers’ sites from AI referrals increased 62% year over year, according to Adobe.

How Povison is handling web traffic from AI referrals

Lin shared that AI-referral traffic currently accounts for about 5% of total Povison website traffic. And it continues to grow steadily, he said. Based on that traffic source’s current trajectory, he expects the share could reach about 10% by early 2027.

The consumers using AI platforms to reach retailers’ sites tend to be highly informed and move through the decision-making process relatively quickly, Lin observed.

“They actively look for detailed product information and compare options within a shorter period of time,” he said. “They are especially interested in the combination of value and practical utility, and they have higher expectations for accurate recommendations and fast, responsive service.”

And the retailer is factoring those consumer insights into its Cyber 5 planning. It wants to be more proactive about holiday marketing across AI channels, he said.

Lin said Povison’s Cyber 5 philosophy is not centered around pricing promotions. Instead, it seeks to earn the purchases through consumer confidence in its product and trust in its brand.

“Our goal is to make sure that when consumers ask AI assistants for furniture recommendations during the peak shopping season, Povison is one of the brands that appears in the answer,” Lin said. To get to that point, he said, Povison will need “a different kind of content investment from traditional search and paid media.”

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