Here’s how consumers want to use AI shopping assistants
Consumers are increasingly open to help from artificial intelligence-based tools but want to leverage them in certain ways.
Two in three U.S. and U.K. consumers have already tried or would be open to trying shopping online with an AI assistant such as ChatGPT or a retailer’s own AI shopping tool. And more than seven in 10 (72%) U.S. and U.K. consumers surveyed by Nosto expect AI shopping assistants to help them shop online.
Among those 72% of respondents, the most-desired AI shopping assistant features are:
- Deal & price-drop alerts (59%).
- Personalized recommendations (51%).
- Gift inspiration (44%).
- Real-time Q&A (“What goes with this?”) (41%).
- Bundles that save money or complete a look (40%).
The top reasons consumers are most likely to stop using AI for shopping are concerns about how their data is being handled (24%) and feeling that AI is making decisions without their input (21%).
[READ MORE: Survey: Consumers lean on AI for product research, online shopping help]
Early adopters
One-in-three (34%) respondents have already tried shopping with a conversational AI shopping assistant, rising to 59% of 25-34-year-olds. Overall, 77% of early adopter respondents said they would trust a brand more if it had an AI shopping assistant.
When asked how they would prefer to gain access to an AI assistant to discover products on a retail website, 46% of early adopter respondents said they would prefer to do it through a website’s search bar and 41% would prefer a dedicated on-site chatbot.
One in three early adopter respondents believe AI can have the greatest impact by improving decision-making, such as comparing or choosing products). One-in-five think improving checkout speed and ease or the post-purchase service experience are areas where AI can provide the biggest impact.
However, after receiving irrelevant product suggestions from an AI shopping assistant, 69% of early adopter respondents said they gave up and searched elsewhere.
The survey also reveals that early adopters are much more likely to consider using AI shopping assistants to perform more in-depth agentic tasks, such as:
"Consumers already believe AI can meaningfully improve how they discover and choose between products, and the experience of early users points to where expectations about AI assistants are likely headed," said Jim Löfgren, CEO of Nosto. "For example, once someone has used an AI assistant, their trust quickly builds, and they’re more willing to let AI handle more complex shopping tasks, from building full baskets for specific occasions to recommending complete product bundles."
The findings come from a survey of 2,000 consumers in the U.S. and U.K. commissioned by Nosto.
