EXCLUSIVE: The most popular AI tool for shopping research is…
Consumers use a number of advanced artificial intelligence platforms to perform due diligence for purchases, but one stands out from its competitors.
Eight-in-10 (81%) U.S. consumers have used AI to research a purchase. More than seven-in-10 (72%) have used ChatGPT, well ahead of second-place Google Gemini (58%). Consumers who participated in a recent CouponFollow survey exclusively released to Chain Store Age have also used AI platforms including Microsoft Copilot (21%), Claude (14%) and Grok (9%).
[READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Consumer comfort, interest in AI shopping assistants grows]
The survey asked respondents about a variety of other aspects of AI-enabled shopping.
What consumers use AI to do while shopping
- Summarize or analyze product reviews (55%).
- Compare prices across multiple retailers (52%).
- Identify a cheaper alternative (37%).
- Find the cheapest price (32%).
- Ask, “Is this a good deal?” (31%).
What first motivated AI adoption
- Faster, more direct answers than traditional search (44%).
- Pure curiosity (41%).
Reasons for hesitating
- Almost seven-in-10 (68%) respondents who are hesitant to use AI for shopping prefer traditional research methods (68%).
- More than half (55%) of hesitant respondents question the reliability of AI-generated information (55%).
- Roughly half (51%) of hesitant respondents feel their current approach already works well enough (51%).
- Respondents who are open to trying AI but hesitant want clear proof of better deals (33%), improved accuracy (24%) and stronger privacy protections (19%).
Generational differences
- Gen Z respondents showed the highest adoption rates and strongest engagement with AI tools (52%). They are also more likely to use AI for price-checking (42%) than millennials (30%), Gen X (28%), and baby boomer respondents (25%).
- 52% of Gen Z and 42% of millennial respondents ask the recommendation of AI tools for what to buy, compared to 29% of Gen X and 24% of baby boomer respondents.
- Gen Z respondents (18%) most commonly report being talked out of a purchase completely by an AI tool, compared to 12% of millennials, 6% of Gen X, and 11% of baby boomer respondents.
- Consumer electronics and personal care products are leading categories for AI-assisted shopping at 45%. However, different generations show unique preferences in how they apply AI across categories. Gen Z leans toward electronics (53%) and fashion (41%). Millennials are more focused on health and wellness products (46%) and Gen X uses AI in travel research (33%).
Other findings
- Six-in-10 (59%) respondents who have shopped with AI say AI helped them find a better deal faster than they could have on their own.
- More than half (55%) of respondents who have shopped with AI have deliberately chosen AI over Google search because search results felt too “cluttered” or “ad-heavy.”
- Four-in-10 (39%) of shoppers who have used AI have asked AI whether to buy now or wait for a sale, and those who acted on the advice estimate saving an average of $287 in the past year.
CouponFollow surveyed 1,007 U.S. consumers about how they use AI tools during the shopping process.
