Bloomreach, the cutting-edge solution for AI-powered personalization, today announced findings from a survey that asked more than 1,000 U.S. consumers about shopping in the age of AI. Highlighting the undeniable shift in consumer behavior driven by AI, the survey found the majority of respondents have used ChatGPT, Gemini, or similar AI tools to help them shop online. Further, more than half of respondents have found their search habits becoming more conversational over the past 12 months — a notable change from a historical reliance on keywords.
“We have known for some time that AI would fundamentally change the way consumers approach online shopping, but it’s now clear we’re no longer talking about the future — we’re talking about the now,” said Raj De Datta, co-founder and CEO, Bloomreach. “Consumers have new expectations for online shopping…it’s up to brands to meet them where they are or risk falling behind.”
How AI has transformed consumer behaviour
- The majority of respondents (61%) have used general purpose AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to help them shop online.
- More than 66% of respondents were at least somewhat familiar with AI assistants built specifically for shopping, such as Amazon’s Rufus, with 57% having used one in the past 6 to 9 months.
- Amazon’s Rufus, launched in September 2024, may have had a large impact on respondents’ understanding of AI shopping assistants — 42% of respondents said they became aware of these kinds of tools within the last year.
- Half of respondents said they would be more likely to use an AI assistant if it knew preferences such as size or style and used that data to personalize responses and recommendations.
- Respondents cited time savings as the biggest benefit of AI shopping assistants, followed by easier navigation and better product recommendations.
How AI has influenced e-commerce search habits
- Over the past 12 months, 54% of survey respondents felt their search habits becoming more conversational, incorporating more natural language.
- More than a third said they search ecommerce sites using questions (i.e. “What do I wear to a black-tie wedding as a 20-year-old woman?”).
- As their search habits have begun to change, 93% of respondents said it is important that ecommerce site search understands conversational queries.
