How much did AI traffic to Croatian webshops grow in Q1 2026?

According to the Arbona Pulse report for Q1 2026, traffic from AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Copilot and others) to Croatian webshops grew 410%, and transactions from that traffic grew 1,305%, against the same period in 2025. The sample was 361 Google Analytics accounts and 276 Google Ads accounts.

How do I check whether my webshop is visible in AI search?

The free AI visibility check on ai.webica.hr puts your webshop in front of AI search engines through a dozen real buying queries and shows whether the AI mentions you, in what position, and who it recommends instead of you.

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AI traffic to Croatian webshops up 410% (Arbona Pulse Q1 2026)

Q: Is AI traffic already a large share?

Not in absolute numbers. In Q1 2026 AI accounted for around 0.4% of total webshop traffic. But that share grew roughly fivefold in a year. Arbona compares it with mobile traffic, which was under 1% in 2008 and today often passes 60%.

Q: Does AI traffic convert better than other channels?

Yes. AI traffic converts at 1.09%, against an all-channel average of 0.82%, which is about 45% better, and better than Google organic (0.75%). It converts strongest in technology and electronics (2.4 times the category average), beauty and fitness (2.2 times) and bookshops (1.9 times).

Arbona Pulse Q1 2026: traffic from AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini…) to Croatian webshops up 410%, transactions up 1,305% year on year. AI is still 0.4% of traffic, but it converts 45% better than the all-channel average.

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Jurica StublićFounder · ai.webica.hr17 June 2026·2 min read

Traffic from AI tools to Croatian webshops rose 410% in the first quarter of 2026, and transactions from that traffic rose 1,305%. The figures come from the Arbona Pulse report for Q1 2026, on a sample of 361 Google Analytics accounts and 276 Google Ads accounts, compared against the same period in 2025.

AI sources include ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Copilot and others. These are buyers who asked an AI assistant for a recommendation and went to the shop it suggested.

In absolute numbers AI traffic is still small, only around 0.4% of total webshop traffic. But that share grew roughly fivefold in a year. Arbona compares it with mobile traffic, which was under 1% in 2008 and today often passes 60%.

Quality matters more than volume here. AI traffic converts at 1.09%, against an all-channel average of 0.82%. That is about 45% better, and better than Google organic (0.75%). It converts strongest in technology and electronics, beauty and fitness, and bookshops.

For a shop owner the message is simple. Buyers are already arriving through AI and spending above average. But an AI answer recommends only a handful of shops. Either you are in that answer, or a competitor gets the customer.

Check whether the AI recommends your shop with the free AI visibility check. No sign-up, the result on screen and a report by email.

Sources

Arbona Pulse Q1 2026: the state of the Croatian digital market (ecommerce.hr, in Croatian)

About the author

Jurica Stublić

Founder of webica.hr, ai.webica.hr and rent.webica.hr

Seven plus years of development and AI automation. I am building Document AI Hub for Croatian accounting firms and helping SMEs make use of EU digitalisation vouchers - from the ENPOO and eKohezija application through to delivering the solution and training the team. Founder of the first Croatian platform for AI websites - rent.webica.hr - build and launch a site in 5 minutes.

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