SPOTLIGHT: Consumers are increasingly turning to AI to help them shop
64% of consumers (in the U.S., UK and Germany) "have used some form of generative AI in their everyday lives," a “significant increase from last year (51%).”
Almost 60% of consumers (in the U.S., UK and Germany) said they are "either “very or somewhat comfortable” using GenAI on a retailer’s website."
Americans' interest in AI handling transactions has nearly doubled in the six months from February 2025 to August 2025, according to a recent Omnisend survey.
59% of Americans said they "already use GenAI tools for various shopping tasks," and just 32% said they're reluctant to "let AI handle transactions" (compared to 66% in February).
83% of weekly AI users said they intend to use AI to "assist with their holiday purchases this year," according to a recent Zeta Global survey.
74% of consumers say they “now trust AI gift recommendations as much as advice from friends.”
Salesforce recently noted a "119% surge in AI-assistant–driven shopping traffic to e-commerce sites year-over-year."
AI and AI agents are expected to “drive 21% of all global holiday orders this year, which accounts for $263 billion in sales.”
The top use cases cited by consumers for AI in shopping include product research (57%), product recommendations (45%) and finding deals (40%).
73% of consumers surveyed by Zeta Global said “AI will make holiday shopping less stressful this year.”
AI is changing how consumers shop for vehicles. Research by Cars.com suggests 44% of American consumers are using AI-powered searches to shop for vehicles. A whopping 97% of consumers say AI will "influence their purchase decision."
AI is fundamentally reshaping consumer behavior. Shoppers are no longer just influenced by algorithms, they’re actively inviting them into their decision-making. For retailers, the message is clear – the future of loyalty will be powered by intelligence that feels personal.”
Rufus, Amazon's AI shopping assistant, can now help consumers track prices. If a consumer is "waiting to buy at a specific discount, Rufus can monitor its price -- checking frequently throughout the day -- and automatically purchase it once it hits the threshold" set by the consumer. Rufus can also “provide tailored gift suggestions or compare products side by side.”
Sparky was introduced by Walmart earlier this year. The GenAI shopping assistant is designed to "summarize and answer questions about reviews, offer recommendations and help shoppers plan purchases." (Walmart also has an AI assistant to help its store employees.)
Last week, Target announced plans to launch "The Target app in ChatGPT," a "complete shopping experience through its app in ChatGPT, with the ability to purchase multiple items in a single transaction, shop fresh food products, and select drive up, pick up or shipping fulfillment options."
The launch is set for this week, in beta. No announcement has been made as to when it will roll out fully.
Gemini users can utilize the “Let Google Call” feature that "calls local stores to verify product availability on a shoppers’ behalf, check prices and inquire about retailers’ promotions."
Users can also "use their photos to virtually try-on items."
Consumers are often disappointed by retailers' AI offerings:
Despite consumers' increasing willingness to use AI to shop, many retailers "aren’t quite providing that personalized level of shopping experience just yet."
Almost 70% of consumers say "retail website searches are in need of an upgrade," and more than 40% say they have to reformulate questions and queries to "make the search engine understand what they need."
Retailers that fail to meet consumers' AI needs will lose customers:
A recent survey by Algolia of UK consumers showed that "42% of shoppers would choose to shop with a supermarket offering AI powered features such as recipe ingredient finders or cheaper product swaps."
Algolia's research suggests "high value customers" are particularly inclined toward using AI tools, and retailers that fail to meet that need will lose those customers.
Retailers need to ensure their websites offer equally smart and intuitive experiences, or risk losing customers to third-party AI platforms.”
Most retailers plan to "maintain or increase AI investment in 2026":
According to a recent survey by Amperity, "45% of retailers are already using AI daily or several times per week, and 97% plan to maintain or increase their AI investment in the coming year."
Just 11% of retailers surveyed by Amperity "said their company is “fully prepared” to deploy AI tools at scale" and 46% of surveyed retailers cited "high costs of AI tools as a top challenge."
It’s not just B2C -- AI is also changing how businesses shop:
79% of companies are "already adopting AI agents to help with tasks like procurement and vendor sourcing," according to PwC.
Alibaba recently announced "a new AI-driven sourcing tool" the company says will "transform how businesses source and evaluate suppliers." Alibaba's AI tool will be rolled out in December, and is expected to “help automate almost the entire sourcing process on the Alibaba online B2B marketplace, from understanding a buyer’s requirements to comparing factories and generating trade documents.”
AI is changing what B2B consumers expect:
As the B2C shopping experience becomes increasingly AI-powered, B2B buyers are beginning to "expect the same frictionless experience they get as consumers: research independently, evaluate asynchronously, and make decisions without gatekeepers."
Experts say that the "content gates and qualification funnels" that have been standard among "enterprise solutions" are giving way to businesses "trying to become “the Amazon of their industry” — making products immediately accessible for exploration."
NOTE: The Need to Know Briefing will not be published on Monday, December 1. The next issue will be published on Monday, December 8.