Revelyst, a multi-brand operator in outdoor recreation and gear, has observed a significant rise in AI-driven product discovery throughout 2026 (Digital Commerce 360 - AI). According to Tari Huddleston, global vice president of digital and ecommerce, consumers are increasingly using AI platforms—including ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity—to understand product features and specifications outside of Revelyst's brand websites. The company is actively monitoring the questions consumers ask AI tools about Revelyst products to inform strategy (Digital Commerce 360 - AI).
AI referral traffic to Revelyst brand sites mirrors broader industry trends, with retailers seeing approximately 1% to 3% of website traffic from AI referrals in early 2026, rising to 4% to 7% in the second half of the year (Digital Commerce 360 - AI). Notably, consumers arriving via AI are adding products to carts at higher rates than other traffic sources and are being directed to product detail pages rather than homepages, indicating they have completed initial discovery research (Digital Commerce 360 - AI). For commerce practitioners, this signals that AI-sourced traffic arrives further along the purchase funnel, ready to convert after conducting thorough product research.
Huddleston emphasized that AI traffic remains small relative to other channels, partly because Revelyst's products—such as power sports helmets priced $400 to $900—require extended research periods and represent significant consumer investments (Digital Commerce 360 - AI). By analyzing questions consumers pose to AI tools, Revelyst has identified previously overlooked product features (such as helmet pad construction and speaker integration) that should be highlighted in product descriptions and search optimization, demonstrating how AI discovery insights can directly improve merchandising and content strategy (Digital Commerce 360 - AI).