Consumers grow comfortable with AI shopping tools
Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming accepted by consumers as a mainstream shopping technology.
Findings of the third annual “State of E-commerce” report from Constructor and Shopify indicate close to half (45%) of surveyed U.S., U.K., and German consumers don't care whether a product was recommended to them by a human or by AI as long as it is suitable to their needs.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents have used generative AI tools such as ChatGPT in their daily lives. This percentage has grown quickly from 51% in the 2024 study and 29% in 2023.
In addition, almost six in 10 respondents (58%) now say they would be very or somewhat comfortable using generative AI and other conversational AI tools on a retail website, up from 52% in 2024 and 42% in 2023.
The rise of shopping assistants
Nearly eight-in-10 (77%) respondents say they often or sometimes are unsure what to buy on an e-commerce site. In moments of uncertainty, 60% say they would definitely or probably be willing to let an AI shopping assistant guide them, with higher response rates among Gen Z and millennial respondents.
Overall, almost four-in-10 (38%) respondents have tried agentic AI shopping tools. Among those who have used generative or agentic AI features on e-commerce sites, half say the experiences are always or often helpful, with 86% saying they are helpful at least some of the time.
[READ MORE: How agentic AI is finding its place in retail]
Roughly one-in-four (26%) respondents say an algorithm that's seen their browsing and purchase history is likely to get their taste right — higher than the share who trust an influencer (18%), though still behind a close friend (46%).
Nearly one-in-five (19%) respondents trust an AI agent more than their partner to pick out a gift for them. Almost half think their partner would do a better job (the rest selected "not sure" or "neither"). One-in-four Gen Z respondents ages 18-29 think AI would pick out a better gift than their partner, compared to just 7% of boomers over 60-years-old)
Search differs by generation
The survey also reveals age-related preferences for product search technology, with almost seven-in-10 (68%) respondents saying search in general needs an upgrade. Specific search platforms examined include:
- TikTok: 25% of respondents say they usually begin searches on TikTok, including 46% of Gen Z and 31% of millennials (ages 30-44). This falls sharply with older cohorts: dropping to 18% for Gen X (ages 45-60) and 6% for boomers.
- Google: A leading 84% of all respondents typically begin their searches with Google.
- Amazon: 63% of respondents often begin their journey on Amazon, with notable regional differences (75% U.S., 63% Germany, 53% U.K.).
- Retail sites: Only 23% of respondents say they often begin searches directly on a retailer's website.
- LLMs: 13% of respondents frequently use large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT to start a search, with strongest usage among millennials (18%) and Gen Z (16%).
Beyond initial searches, the survey also examined the use of social platforms for discovery and purchase, with generational differences:
- TikTok: 58% of Gen Z respondents and 42% of millennials use TikTok for discovery and purchase.
- Instagram: 54% of Gen Z respondents and 51% of millennials use TikTok for discovery and purchase.
- Facebook: 48% of millennials respondents and 38% of Gen X perform discovery and purchase on Facebook.
Interestingly, 61% of boomer respondents say they don't use social platforms for discovery and purchase at all.
The survey also asked respondents to identify major pain points in the retail search process:
- 42% say they always or frequently have to reformulate their queries to make the search engine "get it,” with 86% doing this at least sometimes.
- 41% say they are served generic and irrelevant recommendations, despite their browsing and purchase history. Half say search results are technically relevant to their queries (e.g., showing shirts for a "shirts" search), but not the kind of items they'd actually want to buy.
- 48% say it takes at least three minutes to wade through pages of search results to find what they need. 23%, it takes over eight minutes.
How consumers react to search experience
Close to half (47%) of respondents often leave a retailer's site immediately when search and discovery experiences disappoint them, including 60% of those in the U.S. Two-in-three have gone directly to Amazon after a disappointing search and discovery experience and 44% say they will take their business to a different retailer when search fails.
More than half of respondents (55%) say they would definitely or maybe pay 5-10% more for an item if they didn't have to scroll through pages to find it, and 55% would shop more at a retailer if guaranteed an excellent online experience. More than four-in-10 (42%) say a great search and product discovery experience would prompt them to recommend the retailer and leave a positive review.
Other findings
- Overall, 34% of respondents prefer retailer apps, including 50% among Gen Z compared to 18% of boomers. Websites remain the preference for 43% overall, including 57% of boomers.
- A majority of Gen Z spend at least half their shopping time on mobile devices. Desktop shopping is more common among older respondents.
These results come from an online survey of more than 1,500 consumers in the U.S., U.K. and Germany, conducted in August 2025.
