The AI shopping numbers, 2026
Shoppers now ask AI before they buy. What the latest data says, and what it means for brands.
AI shopping, 2026
43%
of US online shoppers researched products with AI
Product.ai, last 90 days
+138%
AI-referred traffic to US retail sites, in one year
Adobe Analytics, May 2026
54%
better conversion from AI-referred shoppers
Adobe Analytics, May 2026
A year ago, AI was a side door into a store. Now it is where many shoppers start. Here is what the latest reports say.
Shoppers ask AI first
- 43% of US online shoppers used an AI assistant, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity, to research products in the past 90 days (Product.ai).
- 20% of those shoppers used AI on their most recent online purchase over $50 (Product.ai).
- 46% of AI users now start their research on an AI platform, up from 25% in 2024. Traditional search fell from 43% to 24% (L.E.K. Consulting).
- 53% of AI users mainly use it to compare options and narrow a shortlist (L.E.K. Consulting).
AI sends more shoppers, and better ones
- AI-referred traffic to US retail sites grew 138% in one year, May 2025 to May 2026 (Adobe Analytics).
- Since October 2024 it has grown 1,324%, more than 14 times (Adobe Analytics).
- Shoppers who arrive from AI convert 54% better than other traffic. A year earlier they converted at nearly half the rate (Adobe Analytics).
- They spend 53% more time on the site and browse 23% more pages per visit (Adobe Analytics).
The choice is made before the visit
- 31% of AI users say their decision was largely made before they reached a brand or retailer site, up from 26% two years earlier (L.E.K. Consulting).
- 86% of shoppers who used AI for research checked its pick with another source before buying (Product.ai).
- 42% would trust AI on a purchase under $50 without checking. Only 5% would for a purchase over $500 (Product.ai).
Much of a store is still unreadable to AI
Adobe found that even in the best sectors, 30 to 40% of the content on high value pages is still overlooked or uncaptured by AI. If AI cannot read a fact, it cannot repeat it to a shopper.
What it means for brands
The shortlist now forms inside the AI answer. A brand that AI skips, or gets wrong, loses the sale before the shopper ever sees its site. The brands that win make their facts easy for AI to find, check and repeat, everywhere AI looks.