War over algorithm recommendations: GEO and bots instead of SEO

Polish e-commerce has reached a turning point, with growth now driven by process digitization rather than solely acquiring new users. Digital devices are integral to 97% of shopping processes in the country, and traditional brick-and-mortar stores are now the preferred shopping destination for only 15% of consumers. E-commerce has become a widespread, multi-generational standard.

The most significant change, however, is occurring in the transaction architecture and decision-making path, where "agentic commerce" is taking hold. This new model prioritizes AI-driven agents over direct consumer clicks. A substantial portion of the traffic, over half, is generated by bots, with a significant portion of AI crawler activity (80%) dedicated to training these models. This shift means that search engine optimization (SEO) is becoming less relevant, being replaced by optimization for generative engines (GEO).

This evolution presents new challenges for online stores. The focus is moving away from traditional customer engagement towards managing interactions with AI agents. The question arises whether e-commerce will continue to serve human customers or primarily cater to these AI entities. The industry is grappling with how to adapt its strategies and platforms to this emerging landscape, where the 'customer' might be an algorithm rather than a person.