Everyone's talking about GPT-5, Agents, and AI doing actual tasks now — but under the radar, some pretty big shifts are happening in e-commerce and affiliate marketing too. We’ve been testing a few things in this space, so I thought I’d break down what we’re seeing, what tools are evolving, and how this could play out. Here are 5 key AI trends we're watching right now: AI isn’t just analyzing behavior — it’s influencing it We’re seeing tools that not only recommend products, but adapt in real time based on micro-signals like scroll speed, bounce behavior, and even cursor movement. Creepy? Maybe. Powerful? Absolutely. Cross-selling is getting smarter (and invisible) A/B testing is old news. AI-driven funnels now reshape themselves on the fly based on the visitor. Think: the right product + the right incentive + the right moment — without them even realizing it was personalized. Cashback & retention loops are AI-optimized Offering cashback isn’t new. But tailoring cashback offers based on predicted lifetime value or churn risk? That’s where AI is starting to boost repeat buys by 20%+ in some tests. Affiliates are testing hybrid models Some of us are now experimenting with "AI-driven affiliate layers" — where the traffic hits an AI-first page before being routed to the final offer. Early data suggests higher engagement, lower bounce, and in some cases, better conversions. Browser extensions and chat-based buying experiences are growing What if your next affiliate link came inside a chatbot or browser extension, without ever sending people to a landing page? Yeah… we’re exploring that too.
I’m seeing similar things, but I think some of these trends are a bit overhyped at the early stage. Micro-signals like mouse movement or scroll depth can add value, but only at scale and with clean data. Otherwise the model starts reacting to noise and does more harm than good. Dynamic cross-sells work as long as they stay simple and predictable - the more “invisible” they get, the easier it is to lose control of the funnel and not know why conversions suddenly dropped. AI-driven cashback is an interesting direction, but it’s easy to overdo it and train users to wait for better offers, which hurts margins long term. Hybrid affiliate models with an AI layer make sense mainly for cold traffic or more complex offers where something actually needs to be explained, not just linked. I’ve tested similar setups with a basic chatbot, and results only improved once it answered real questions instead of just pushing a link - closer to how RAG-based bots like botino.eu are used, not a “chatty popup”. As for extensions and chat-based buying, there is potential, but the trust barrier is high. Users quickly notice when a tool is genuinely helpful versus when it’s just a clever way to sell. For now it feels more like a niche for power users than a mainstream channel. In the end, the setups that win are still the ones where AI supports solid UX and a good offer, instead of trying to replace e-commerce fundamentals.