Dark Search & AI Shopping: The Hidden Threat (and Opportunity) for Retail Media

Today I'm unpacking a fascinating shift happening right under our noses in retail media — what has been coined “dark search.” I explore how AI-driven discovery is quietly reshaping the way consumers find and buy products. The big question: is this trend actually helping retail media grow, or is it eroding the very signals it depends on?I dive into two new pieces of research that seem to tell completely different stories: one suggesting AI is expanding the e-commerce pie, and the other arguing we’re flying blind when it comes to measuring its true impact. If you’re in retail, e-commerce, or media, this episode will challenge how you think about attribution, conversion, and the future of shopper behavior.This episode is sponsored by Mirakl AdsTimeline[00:00] – Why I’m cautious about extrapolating from my own shopping habits and how the Hawthorne Effect plays into consumer behavior[00:45] – The “dark search” moment: how AI influenced my purchase before I ever hit a retailer’s site[02:01] – Criteo’s report: AI-driven traffic converts 1.5x higher and lands directly on product pages[03:45] – RefiBuy’s findings: up to 70% of AI-influenced traffic is invisible to analytics tools[05:00] – The shocking conversion rates of “dark” AI traffic and what that means for retailers[06:30] – Reconciling two opposing views: AI growth vs. measurement blind spots[08:00] – Why this shift could be a structural threat to retail media economicsLinks & ResourcesRead Criteo's 2026 Commerce & AI Trend ReportRead ReFiBuy's DACT piece by Scot Wingo on LinkedIn: Dark Agentic Commerce Traffic (DACT): Answer Engines Are Sending High-Intent Shoppers to your PDPs, But Your Analytics Miss >70%Read my related articles:‘Dark Search’ Is Making AI-Facilitated Commerce Look Smaller Than It Really IsDark Search, Broken Signals, and What Comes Next for Retail MediaAgentic Commerce Is a Sequencing Problem, Not an Existential OneI'm hosting a LIVE event with In-Store Marketplace and Catalyst Media Consulting on April 22 about In-Store Retail Media: are we measuring the wrong things? We'll discuss New Research on the state of in-store retail media measurement — and why the path forward may actually be simpler than the industry is making it. REGISTER HERESubscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletterFollow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn