WhenAIGuidestheShoppingJourney

OPPORTUNITIESFORMARKETERSINTHEAGEOFAIDRIVENCOMMERCE

PREMIERPARTNERS:

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

What’sinStore

3

6

12

20

25

32

WelcometotheEraofAI-drivenCommerce

CurrentStateofAdoptionWho’susingAIandwhy

AI’sValueinthePurchaseJourneyWhereit’smostin?uential

TheTrustGap

Moresteps,morecon?dence

FutureOutlook

WhatshopperswantnextfromAI

CalltoAction

RecommendationsandResources

2

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

WelcometotheeraofAI-drivencommerce

Toexplorethistransformation,IABpartneredwithTalkShoppetoconductacomprehensive,?rst-of-it’s-kind

researchinitiative.Including450+digitalethnographiesandasurveyof600USconsumers,thisstudy

analyzedactualshoppingbehaviortouncover:

●WhattheAI-enhancedshoppingexperiencelookslikeinpractice

●HowAIisusedalongsideotheronlineservices

●Whereandhowbrands?tintothisecosystem

●Thefutureopportunityformarketers

WefoundthatAIisturningshoppingintoamore

dynamicsequenceofdecisions.Ithelpscutthrough

clutter,narrowschoices,andbuildscon?dence-butitalsopromptsshopperstotakemorefollow-upstepstocon?rmwhatthey?nd,creatingnew,high-intent

momentsformarketerstoearnattentionandtrust.

AIisreorganizingthemomentswheremarketingis

mosteffective.Thisreportrevealsthetouchpointsthatmattermost,therealbehaviorsshapingpost-AI

shopping,andtheshiftsthatalignmediaandmessagingtothisnewreality.

Asdigitalshoppingisbeingrede?nedby

intelligentassistance,we’rewitnessinga

fundamentalshiftinhowconsumersevaluateandmakepurchasedecisions.

AIisnotjustchangingcommerce-it’spoweringthenextwaveofgrowth.

ConsumersareincreasinglyturningtoAItoolstoguidetheirshoppingjourneys,from

discoveryandresearchtoproductcomparisonandpurchase.Nearly40%ofU.S.consumersnowuseAIwhenshopping1,andthisholidayseasonaloneAIisexpectedtoin?uenceover$260billioninglobale-commercesales2.

Formarketers,thisshiftrepresentsbotha

challengeandbreakthroughopportunity.AIisreshapingthepathtopurchase,andsuccesswilldependonunderstandingtheways

consumersengagewithAIalongsideother

onlinesources,while?ndingeffectivewaystocommunicatewithinthesenewexperiencesthatde?nethefutureofcommerce.

1AdobeDigitalInsights,August2025.

3

2Salesforce,September2025

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

METHODOLOGY

IABpartneredwithTalkShoppeona?rst-of-its-kind,multi-phasedresearchstudyto

PHASEII:

NATIONALCONSUMERSURVEY

Anethnography-informedsurveyof600USconsumerswasconductedtofurtherquantifywhatwasuncoveredinthecommunities.Thesurveyincludedboth“AI

Shoppers”and“AIShoppingIntenders.”

AISHOPPERS

UseAItools/featuresoccasionallyorfrequentlytohelpwithonlineshopping.

AISHOPPINGINTENDERS

UseAItools/featuresingeneral.

Theydon’tyetuseAIforshopping,butareopentotheideaofdoingso.

DEFINITIONS

“AITOOLS:”

GenerativeAIplatformssuchasChatGPT,Claude,MicrosoftCopilot,Perplexity,MetaAI,GoogleGemini.SearchAIfeaturessuchasGoogleAIOverviewsandBing’sAI.

ONLINESOURCEEXAMPLES:

●Searchengines:e.g.,Google,Bing

●Marketplaces:e.g.,Amazon,Ebay

●Retailers:e.g.,BestBuy,Target

●Brands:e.g.,Nike,Apple

●Communityforums:e.g.,Reddit,Quora

●SocialMedia:e.g.,TikTok,YouTube

●Newssites:e.g.,NYT,ConsumerReports

explorethedigitalconsumerjourneyandhowAIandotheronlinesourcesworktogether

PHASEI:

OBSERVEDONLINECOMMUNITIES

Ascreen?recordednarratedonlinecommunityof150USAIuserscompletingover450AIshoppingsessionsforlow,medium,andhighpricedproductsontheir

desktopandmobiledevices.

Inthesessions,consumersshoppedonlineforproductsandtalkedthroughwhattheyweredoingandwhy,whiletheyweredoingit.Touchpointsandfrictionmomentsweremonitoredandcoded.

I'mlookingforapurple

cashmeresweater.My

budgetis

thesweaterandpasted

itintomybrowserto

searchfor

Lookslikeit'llbeagreat

?t.Lovethecolor.I'm

gonnaaddittomybag

4

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

WhenAIGuidestheShoppingJourney

OPPORTUNITIESFORMARKETERSINTHEAGEOFAIDRIVENCOMMERCE

KEYINSIGHTS

01

AIhasbecomeanessentialtoolintheconsumerjourney

ShoppersrankAIasthesecond-mosthelpfulandin?uentialshoppingsourceintheirdecision-makingprocess-

rivalingsearchandretailers.HalfofAIshoppersalreadyusAIregularlywhentheyshop,and80%expecttorelyonitmoreinthefuture.

02

It’smosteffectiveprovidingclaritymid-journeywherecomplexitypeaks

WhileAIin?uencesdiscovery,

shopperssayit’sbiggeststrengthishelpingthemintheresearchphase:

comparingproductsandnarrowingdownchoices.Asaresult,morethanthree-quarterssayithelpsthemmakedecisionsfasterandfeelmore

con?dentintheirpurchases.

03

HoweverAIShoppersfrequentlyrunintofriction,erodingtrust

ShoppersoftenrunintochallengeswithAI,suchasbrokenlinksor

missing/con?ictingproduct

information.Only46%ofshoppersfullytrusttheshopping

recommendationsAIgavethem,leadingto89%double-checkingAIinformationwithothersources.

04

AIisn’tremovingstepsfromthejourney-itcreatesnewones

AlthoughAIcanmakeshopping

easier,it’snotremovingstepsfromthejourney.95%ofshopperstookadditionalstepsonlineafterAItofeelcon?dentintheirpurchase.Formarketers,thesestepsoffer

valuablemomentstoconnectwithattentivehigh-intentconsumers.

05

AI-drivenshoppingan

opportunityformarketers

ConsumersarerapidlyadoptingAIforshopping,butlackoftrustisa

frictionpoint.Brandsandretailers

haveasigni?cantopportunityto

developastrategytodeepen

customerrelationshipsthroughAI,whilemeetingconsumersinthe

shoppingmomentsthatmattermost.

5

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

CurrentStateofAdoption

Who’susingAIandwhy

6

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

CURRENTSTATEOFADOPTION

AIhasalreadybecomeanessentialshoppingtoolforconsumers

Nearly4in10consumerscurrentlyuseAIforonlineshopping1,andoverhalfplantouseitinthefuture.

AmongAIShoppers-nearlyhalfuseitmostoreverytimetheyshop.Andaftercompletingthetheirshoppingsessions,over80%ofshopperssaidtheyexpecttorelyonAImoreinthefuture.

“

“IthinkIwilluseitmoreandmoreasitcontinuestodevelopandenhanceitscapabilities.Ican'twait!

-Female,Millennial

“Iseeitbeingusedallthetime.Ithink

shoppinghasbeenforeverchangedforme.Reviews.Products.Feedback.Innovation.It'sallgreatandAIcanbesohelpfulto

peopleifyou'rewillingtodivein!

-Male,GenX

USCONSUMERS

USAGEOFAIFORSHOPPING1(%)52

46%

38

ofAIShoppersuseAImostoreverytimetheyshop

80%

ofsessionsendedwithshopperssaying

they’llrelyonAImoreinthefuture

PlantouseAIforshopping

CurrentlyuseAIforshopping

1AdobeDigitalInsights,August2025Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

7

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,2025

CURRENTSTATEOFADOPTION

AIShoppersareahigh-valueaudiencethatshopoftenandspendatahigherlevel

ThoseusingAIforshoppingshoponlinemoreoftenandoutspendAIuserswhodon’tyetuseAIforshoppingby1.3xeachmonth,creatingmoreshoppingsessionsandmakingthemahigh-value,highlyactionableaudience.

AIShoppersalsoskewyounger,with6-in-10beingGenZorMillennials,whileintendersskewolderwithnearlyhalfGenX.

●AIShoppingIntenders:

UseAIgenerally,butnotyetforshopping

.AIShoppers:

CurrentlyuseAIforshopping

AISHOPPERSBYGENERATION(%)

ONLINESHOPPINGFREQUENCY

47

41

35

33

30

27

24

21

16

9

8

Afewtimesaweekormore

Onceaweek

Millennial

GenZ

GenX

Boomers

hmc

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

(%)

$391

$290

16

AIShoppingIntenders

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,2025

AVERAGEONLINEMONTHLYSPEND($)

AI

Shoppers

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

CURRENTSTATEOFADOPTION

ShoppersuseAIacrosscategories,and?nditmosthelpfulwhenproductcomparisonandevaluationisneeded

WhileAIusageforshoppingishighacrossallcategories,certain

TOPCATEGORIESFORAISHOPPINGUSAGE(%)

AIShoppers

productcategoriesareanatural?tforAIassistanceasconsumerslookforasummaryoftechnicalspeci?cations,features,andoptions.

53

53

47

45

ThecategorieswhereshoppersturntoAImostforshoppingaretechnologyproducts,apparel/fashion,andbeauty/personalcareproducts;sectorsthattypicallyinvolveavarietyofmodels,sizes/?t,ingredients,orcolorswhereside-by-sidedetailishelpfuland

43

43

40

personalizationmatters.

“

Food/Beverage

HouseholdProducts

HealthProducts

Tech

Apparel/Fashion

Media/

Entertainment

Travel/Leisure

Beauty/

Personal

Care

38

“AIplayedakeyrolebyhelpingtocurate,compare,andpersonalizemy

choicesquicklyande?ciently;?lteringthroughhundredsofsmartTVstosurfaceonlythebest-ratedandcurrentlyavailablemodels.

-Male,Millennial

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,20259

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

CURRENTSTATEOFADOPTION

AIrivalssearchandretailersasthemosthelpfulandin?uentialshoppingsource

AIShoppersrankAIasthesecond-mosthelpfulandin?uentialshoppingsourceintheirdecision-makingprocess-onparwithsearchenginesandretailersitesandapps.

Additionally,intheAIshoppingsessions,AIwasmostfrequentlynamedasthesinglemostimpactfulresourceinthejourney,highlightingthatAIis

“

-Male,GenX

“ThemostimpactfulsourceIusedwhileshoppingforthisparticularitemwasde?nitelyAIbecauseitshowedmehowIcaneasilybuytheitemIwantedaftercomparingittootherproducts.Itevengavemethelinktodoso,whichallowedmetoaddittocartorbuynow.

“

operatingatthetoptierofshopperin?uence.

“AIcanbejustasusefulandhelpfulasthesearchengines.Iknowthe

moreIuseitthemoreitwilllearnwhatIlikeanddon'tlike.

-Female,Millennial

TOP5MOSTHELPFUL/INFLUENTIALSOURCES

WHENDECIDINGWHATTOBUY*

1

Searchengines

2

AItools

3

Retailerwebsitesorapps

4

Friendsorfamilyrecommendations

Socialmedia(posts,videoreviews,unboxings)

*Selectionof‘mosthelpful/in?uential’madebasedonshortlistofsourceseverusedwhenshoppingonline.Rankingre?ectsonlysourcespersonallyused.

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,202510

CURRENTSTATEOFADOPTION

BecauseAImakesshoppingmorefun,intuitive,andpersonalized

AIistransformingonlineshoppingintoanexperiencethatfeelsmorepersonalizedandenjoyable.Morethan70%ofshopperssayAIoftenanticipatestheirneedsbeforetheyevenask,and85%agreeitdeliversproductrecommendationsthatfeelpersonalized.Theresultisa

moreengagingexperienceoverall,with83%ofshopperssayAImakesshoppingmorefun.

“

83%

“

agreesayusingAImakesshoppingmorefun

73%

“

agreeAIoftenanticipateswhatIneedbeforeIask

85%

agreeAIgivesmeproductrecommendationsthat

feelpersonalized

“Itmakestheshoppingexperiencemoreaccurate, fun,anddetailed.IforeseemyselfcontinuingusingAIforbiggerandsmallerpurchasesinthefuture.

-Female,GenX

“It'slikeabestfriendthatisawalkingencyclopedia.It'sreallygoodatre?ningyoursearchaswellas

providingmoreinsightthanyouwouldnormallybringtothetable.

-Male,Millennial

“AIfeelsmoreconversationalandpersonalized.It'slikesomeoneisshowingyouaveryspeci?cpowerpointonthesubjectthatYOUwantedanswerforandit'sbasically

instantaneous.

-Male,GenX

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,202511

AI’sValueinthePurchaseJourney

Whereit’smostin?uential

12

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

AI’SVALUEINTHEPURCHASEJOURNEY

AIusageishighestinthebeginningandmiddleoftheshoppingjourney

TheshoppingsessionsrevealedthatAIandsearchdominatethebeginningandmiddleofthejourney,easingofftowardstheendoftheshoppingsession.Retailersandmarketplacesbecometheprimarytouchpointsfromthemiddlethroughtheend,whilereviewsonretailersitesshowupneartheendas

validation.Communityforumspeakinthemiddlewhenshoppersarenarrowingchoices,whilesocial/videoplatformsareconsistentthroughout.

ConsumerTouchPoints

AIplatform/tools

Searchengines

Retailers&marketplaces

Veri?eduserreviews

CommunityforumsPricecomparison&dealtools

Social&videoplatforms

AIplatformsandsearchenginesset

thestage,narrowingchoicesand

answeringproductquestions

Retailers,marketplaces,communityforums,andsocialmediaprovidecomparisonsandhumanvalidation

Productdetailpagesandveri?edreviewsonretailer/marketplacesites

provide?nalproofandpurchase

Awareness&DiscoveryResearch&ConsiderationCon?rmation&Purchase

Strongpresence

Lowpresence

Moderatepresence

GenZaremorelikelytousesocialmediaand

communityforums?rstintheirshoppingjourneys!

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,2025

AI’SVALUEINTHEPURCHASEJOURNEY

THEMOSTCOMMONPRODUCTDISCOVERIESFROMAIRECOMMENDATIONS

AIShoppingSessions

“

“AIde?nitelyhelps?ndotherproductswhileI’mdoingmyresearch.ForexamplewhenIcompareaproducttoanotherproductit

suggestsnewideaswhichIneverwould’veotherwiseseen.

-Male,GenZ

AIunlocksdiscoveryofnewproductsandbrands

WhenAIcuratestheshoppingjourney,itintroduces

peopletoproductsandbrandstheymightnever?ndontheirownrightwhenthey’relookingforthem.

Nearly9in10sayithelpsthemdiscoverthingsthey

wouldhaveotherwisemissed.AndacrossourhundredsofAIshoppingsessions,64%ofAIShoppersactuallydiscoveredanewproductviaAI.

Forshoppersitfeelslikepersonalizedguidance.For

brands,it’sacenter-stagemomenttocaptureattentionatexactlytherighttime.

88%

ofshopperssayAIhelpsthemdiscoverproductsthey’dotherwisemiss

64%

ofsessionshadAI

surfaceanewproducttotheshopper

NEW-TO-MEBRANDS:

Credible,relevantalternativesbeyondtheusualset

“

Youcanbehyper-speci?candhaveitjustgiveyouexactlywhatyouneedandcompareandcontrastproductsandeverythingthatyouwanttomakethemostoutofyourshoppingexperience.

-Male,GenX

NICHEVARIANTS&FITS:Exactversionsthatmatch

needs(size,color,etc)

“

InthisshoppingexperienceAIhelpedmenarrowdownplacesto?ndthesameproductbutforcheaper.

-Female,GenZ

VALUESWAPS:

Look-alikelowerpricedoptionswithcomparablefeatures

IuseAItotellmehowthisproductiscompatibleanditscapabilitiesaswell.Ilikehowittellsmewhatit'sabletodo,becausethiswillhelpmemakeadecisionwhetherthisisformeornot.

“

-Female,GenZ

COMPATIBILITYFINDS:Itemscon?rmedtoworkwithshopper’ssetup/requirements

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,2025)14

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

WHERESHOPPERSSAIDAIWASMOSTEFFECTIVEINTHEIRJOURNEY(%)

AIShoppers

AI’SVALUEINTHEPURCHASEJOURNEY

Butit’smosteffectiveprovidingclaritymid-journeywherecomplexitypeaks

WhileAIusagespansthebeginningandmiddleofthejourney,shoppersfoundthemostvaluefromAIinthemiddle:researchingandcomparingproducts,andnarrowingdownchoices.

WhileshoppersdidseeAIasaneffectivetoolforexploringnewideas,

categories,andproducts,itwasmosteffectivedistillingandcurating

“

“

-Female,Millennial

AIismuchmoreeffectiveande?cientthananyothertoolsIusetoshop.ItreallydoesthebestjobatnarrowingdowntheproductsIshouldchoosefrombaseduponpriceandquality.”

options,makingthetypicallycomplex“messymiddle”partofthejourneyeasierandmoresatisfying.

“AIreallydoesagreatjobatbeinga

?lter,thinkofitasminingforgoldexceptinsteadofgold,whatyouaresearchingfordoesn'tgetstrainedthroughthenet!”

-Male,Millennial

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

83

73

71

50

21

Lookingfornewbrandsorproductstobuy

Exploring

anewcategory

orproducts

Researching

andcomparing

products

Purchase

Narrowingdownchoices

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,202515

AI’SVALUEINTHEPURCHASEJOURNEY

ShoppersmostcommonlyuseAIfordeeperresearch&comparisontasks

ThemostcommontasksshoppersturntoAIforareproductcomparisons,product-speci?cquestions,andtoolsthattrackpricesorsurfacedeals-

functionsthatsimplifyevaluationandhelpshoppersfeelmoreassuredaboutproductvalue.

Summariesofcustomerreviewsalsostandout,translatingvolumesof

feedbackintoconciseliststhatmakechoicesclearer.Andwhileless

“

“

-Female,Millennial

“AIcansavetime,energy,andoverallsanitybynarrowingdownwhateverproductyouareinthemarketfortoafeweitherbestratedproducts,orbestpricedproducts.

common,personalizedrecommendationsandstyle/sizingguidancemaketheshoppingprocessfeelmoretailoredandengaging.

“AIplayedamajorroleinmyshoppingexperiencebyhelpingmecompare

options,understandtechnical

speci?cations,andweightheprosandconsofeachproductinrealtime.

-Male,Millennial

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

MOSTCOMMONLYUSEDAISHOPPINGTASKS(%)

AIShoppers

Comparisonsofmultiple57

productsorbrands

Answerstoproduct-speci?cquestions53

Pricetrackingordealalerts53

Summariesofcustomerreviews49

Personalizedproductrecos

38

Style,?torsizingadvice

35

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,2025

16

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

AI’SVALUEINTHEPURCHASEJOURNEY

Thisassuranceenablesshopperstomoveforwardquicklyand

con?dentlywiththeirjourneys,andmaterializesintwomainways

MAKINGTHEPROCESSEASIER

TheclaritythatAIbringstothejourneymakestheoverallshoppingprocesseasierforconsumers.AIcansimplifycomparisons,quicklyanswerproductquestions,andsummarizelengthyreviews.

PROVIDINGCONFIDENCEINTHEIRNEXTSTEPS

Bynarrowingdownoptionsandfocusingtheconsumer,AIcuratestheshoppersworldforthemandguidestheirnextsteps.Thisenablesshopperstomove

forwardquicklyandcon?dentlytothenextstepsintheirjourneys.

●

81%

ofsessionsendedwithshopperssayingAIdidinfactmakethejobeasier

“[AITOOL]gavemeaclearbreakdownofthefeaturesandhowtheycompare.Itmadetheshoppingprocesseasierandless

overwhelmingbysummarizingeverythinginsimpleterms.”

-Female,Millennial

“

“AIoffersfocused,tailoredguidanceandmakestheshoppingexperiencefaster,smarter,andprovidesmorecon?denceinapurchasedecision!”

-Male,Millennial

“

77%

ofshoppersfeltmorecon?dentintheirabilitytomakeapurchasedecisionwiththehelpofAI

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

17

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,2025

AI’SVALUEINTHEPURCHASEJOURNEY

AIdelivershigh-intentshopperstoretailersandmarketplaces

WhenAIshapestheshoppingjourney,retailersandmarketplacesbecome

theultimatedestination.IntheAIshoppingsessions,nearly80%ofshoppersvisitedaretailerormarketplacetovalidatetheirpurchasedecisions.

AndonceshoppersuseAI,retailerandmarketplacetra?cdoesn’tjustrise-itaccelerates.AfterinteractingwithAI,sitevisitstoretailersand

marketplacesnearlytripled,andoneinthreeshoppersclickeddirectlyfromanAIplatformtoaretailerormarketplace.Thissurgere?ectsnotjust

increasedtra?c,butahigh-intentpurchase-readyaudience.

78%

ofshopperswenttoaretaileror

marketplacesitetovalidate

shoppingdetailsduringtheirjourney

32%

wenttoanonlineretailerormarketplacedirectlyafterusingAI

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

%OFSHOPPERSTHATVISITED

RETAILER/MARKETPLACESITESBEFORE&AFTERAI

AIShoppers

50

》

》

20

BEFOREAI

AFTERAI

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,202518

AI’SVALUEINTHEPURCHASEJOURNEY

Retailersandmarketplacesarewheretrustneedstobeearnedtodriveaction

WhenshoppersarriveataretailerormarketplaceafterusingAI,they’realreadyprimedtopurchase.Theyexpectaccuracyandeaseofnavigationastheyverifyinformation.

Aboveallelse,three-quartersvisitthesitetoverifypricesanddeals,followedbydouble-checkingthevariantsandproductoptions,alongwithreadingveri?eduserreviewsandratings.

Thisisthemomentwhereintentconverts.IfretailerandmarketplacepagesarenotclearandconsistentwithwhatAIsuggested,shoppersmayloopbackto

“

searchandcon?rm;orpausethepurchasealtogether.

“IvisitedaretailsitebecauseIwantedtoverifytheaccuracyoftheAIrecommendationsandcon?rmimagesandpricingbeforemakingapurchase.Italsoallowedmetocheckavailabilityandshippingdetailsdirectly,providingmewithcon?denceandreassurance.

-Male,Millennial

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

WHATSHOPPERSINVESTIGATEONRETAILERANDMARKETPLACESITESCOMINGFROMAI(%)

AIShoppers

Accurateprices&deals

Variants/options(color/size/model)

Veri?edreviews/ratings/Q&A

Availability/delivery

Specs/compatibility/?t

Compare“Avs.B”

Storepickup/locator

Photos/videos

Returns/warranty

76

44

41

36

29

23

22

22

8

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,202519

TheTrustGap

Moresteps,morecon?dence

20

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

POINTS

COMMONSHOPPINGAIFRICTION

AIShoppingSessions

RELIABILITY:

“Arethedetailscorrect¤t?”

FRICTIONPOINTS

●Broken/outdatedlinks

●Specs/price/availsinAImisalignw/retailpages

NEXTSTEPS

→Cross-checkaretailerormarketplaceforprices/availability

→Reviewproductdetailpagestocheckspecsandwarranty

TRANSPARENCY:

“Wheredidthiscomefrom?”

FRICTIONPOINTS

●Answersthatlackedlinks/sources

●Strongclaimswithnocitations

NEXTSTEPS

→Searchto?ndsources→Checknewssites

→Checkretailerproductpagesforaccurateinfo

RELEVANCE:

“Isthisrightforme?”

FRICTIONPOINTS

●Recommendationsdon’t?tbudget

●Wrongsize,?torcompatibility

NEXTSTEPS

→Restartthequery

→Ignoretherecommendationsandapply?lterselsewhereonline

HUMANVALIDATION:

“Dorealpeoplebackthisup?”

FRICTIONPOINTS

●AIsummariesmisalignw/consumersentiment

●Needreal-life“proof”

NEXTSTEPS

→Readuserreviewsandcommunityforums→Watchademoorreviewvideo

21

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

THETRUSTGAP

AIShoppersfrequentlyrunintofriction,creatingdetours

WhenshoppersrunintochallengeswhileusingAIforshopping,suchasmissingorcon?icting

informationinAItools,theydon’tstop;theyaddstepsonlinetobuildcon?dence.

Therearefourcommonfrictionsthatshoppersruninto,andtheytakepredictabledetoursfromeachofthesefrictionpoints.

Furthermore,theAIshoppingsessionsrevealedthatduringthesenextstepsshoppersareactivelyseekingclarityratherthancasuallybrowsing.

Theirattentionishigh,theirmindsareopen,andtheywantto?nishthejourney.

THETRUSTGAP

FrictionerodestrustwithAI,leading

shopperstobuildcon?denceelsewhere

Whenshoppershitfrictionpointstheirtrustfades.

IntheAIshoppingsessionsonly46%ofconsumersfullytrustedtheshoppingrecommendationsAIgavethem,whichmeansamajorityofconsumersdon’tyetfullytrustAIforshopping.

Asaresult,shoppersareturningtoservicestheytrustmoretobuildpurchasecon?denceincludingcommunityforumsanduserreviewsforreal-worldexperiences,andsearchandretailersitesthatprovideveri?edup-to-dateproductinformation.

“

-Female,GenZ

“AIservesasadditionalinformation.

However,Itrustsearchandcommunityforumsmore.AIwillnotgivemethe?nalcon?rmationasIdonottrustitenoughtodoso.SoI’llre-con?rmwithforums

andsearchafterwards.”

46%NewsSites43

ofshoppers

fullytrusted

AI’sshopping

recommendations

GenZhavehighertrustinsocialmedia&communityforums

Base:Consumersurvey(n=600)andEthnographicQual(n=150)

Source:IAB/TalkShoppeAICommerceStudy,2025

22

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

SHOPPERTRUSTCOMPAREDTOAI

%ofshopperswhotrusteachsourcemorethanAI

TrustLessTrustMore

CommunityForums83

UserReviews78

SearchPlatforms65

Retailer/MarketplaceSites63

SocialMedia62

WHENAIGUIDESTHESHOPPINGJOURNEY

“

THETRUSTGAP

AIdrivesmorestepsonlineforvalidationandcon?dence

AlthoughAIcanmakeshoppingeasierand

decisionsfaster,it’snotnecessarilyremovingstepsfromthejourney-it’screatingnewones.

IntheAIshoppingsessions95%ofconsumerstookadditionalstepsonlineafterAItofeel

fullycon?denti