News Briefs

Consumer behavior indicates the use of artificial intelligence shopping tools is becoming widespread.

Data emailed to Chain Store Age by marketing technology provider Bloomreach reveals that more than 75% of consumers have leveraged next-gen AI solutions such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude to help them shop in the last six months. A recent survey of more than 4,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers conducted by Bloomreach also indicates that more than four-in-10 (42%) respondents use AI shopping tools daily, and close to 70% use AI for shopping at least weekly.

In addition 40% of respondents say using AI has led them to shop more frequently, 38% say spend more overall when they leverage AI, and 34% said they make more impulse purchases while shopping with AI. However, not all results are positive for retailers. Four-in-10 (41%) respondents would rather shop through an AI assistant, slightly more than would prefer to visit a brand’s website directly (38%), which Bloomreach analysis suggests signals a shift in where customer relationships are formed.

[READ MORE: Numerator: Consumers of all ages utilizing AI tools]

Other findings

• Eight-in-10 respondents say AI shopping results have met or exceed their expectations.
• More than half (56%) of respondents plan to use AI to shop more in the next 12 months.
• Six-in-10 (61%) respondents say AI increases their confidence in purchase decisions.
• Consumers are actively using AI to compare products (48%), find deals (46%) and discover products (41%).

"Shoppers aren't experimenting with AI anymore, they’re relying on it. And beyond that…they’re enjoying it. Most say AI shopping experiences are meeting or exceeding their expectations," said Raj De Datta, co-founder and CEO, Bloomreach. "The way consumers search and shop has changed, and brands have to adapt accordingly. Customer engagement built for yesterday won't win the shopper of today.”  

An Atlanta-based fried chicken chain has made its debut in the Big Apple.

Zaxbys has opened its first New York City location with a 2,000-sq.-ft. restaurant in the Bronx that offers both dine-in and drive-thru services. Later this summer, the chain will open a 2,800-sq.-ft. store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that will feature its modern farmhouse-inspired design, along with convenient self-service ordering kiosks.

Zaxbys now operates over 1,000 locations in 24 states, and last month said it was continuing to accelerate its expansion into key new markets, including Maryland, Phoenix and Chicago.

"New York is one of the most influential food cities in the world, and we're incredibly proud to introduce Zaxbys to this market," said Zaxbys CEO Bernard Acoca. "Opening our first two restaurants in New York this summer marks an exciting milestone in our growth journey and a significant chapter in our expansion across the Northeast.”  

[READ MORE: Zaxbys names development chief as it continues expansion]

To celebrate its New York debut, Zaxbys will host a series of events throughout the city this summer designed to introduce the brand to local communities and build excitement around its arrival, the company said.

“Whether it's Southern transplants looking for a taste of home or New Yorkers discovering our Chicken Fingerz and signature sauces for the first time, we're excited to share the Southern hospitality and bold flavor experiences that have made Zaxbys a fan favorite for more than 35 years,” added Acoca.

Founded in 1990, Zaxbys is known for its chicken fingers and wings, salads and more.

Temu has tripled the number of brands it proactively monitors for intellectual property (IP) protection in the past year.

The global e-commerce platform focused on selling low-cost items now proactively monitors more than 15,000 brands. In addition, the Temu 2026 Intellectual Property Protection Report indicates the ratio of proactive removals to reactive takedowns for potentially infringing listings increased to 331:1, up from approximately 200:1 in 2025.

Temu says it proactively screens for and takes down infringing listings using a combination of its proprietary screening technology and a team of human expert reviewers. The company’s detection database holds more than 47 million images and 9.5 million keywords, a more than ninefold increase in image coverage over the year.

Temu vets sellers before they can join and list on the platform. During the past year, more than 40% of new applicants were rejected at onboarding for failing verification checks. The company terminated more than 16,000 stores over the period for repeated IP violations.

[READ MORE: Temu offers sellers third-party testing and certification services]

Temu has also rolled out a consumer awareness feature across all operating markets. Searches for terms like "fake," "dupe" and "counterfeit" return no results and show a message about the risks of counterfeits instead. The feature blocks more than 80,000 such searches each day.

Over the past year, Temu has engaged with more than 130 IP associations, nearly double the number in 2025. In April 2026, it joined the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, and also works with IP groups including the Brand Guardian Initiative, International Trademark Association and France's Union des Fabricants.

The nation’s malls gained momentum in the first half of this year.

All three mall formats had year-over-year visit growth the first half of 2026, according to “The Mall Index” report from Placer.ai. Open-air shopping centers was the front runner, with visits up 4.7%, followed by indoor malls, up 1.9%, and outlet malls, up 1.0%.

Visits to indoor mall in June were up 1.2%, with open-air shopping center visits up 5.1% and outlet mall visits up 1.0% compared to June 2025. June's performance caps a strong first half of the year, noted Placer.ai, suggesting consumer demand for shopping centers remains strong heading into the second half of the year.

Captured market data suggests mall traffic gains are being driven by a broader mix of shoppers rather than just an increase in higher-income households — pointing to expanding consumer appeal despite a cautious spending environment, according to the report. 

“The category's combination of retail, dining, entertainment, and one-stop convenience may be helping malls resonate with a broader audience in an environment where consumers remain selective about discretionary spending,” the report said.

Most consumers agree that it is becoming more difficult to recognize online scams, with consequences for marketers.

More than seven-in-10 (72%) of 5,600 consumers across Europe, the U.S. and Latin America recently surveyed by ClarityCheck said scams have become harder to spot because they look more professional. Close to two-thirds (63%) said poor grammar, cheap design or strange formatting no longer feel like reliable warning signs and 58% said they had received a message, link, offer or account notification that looked legitimate but still felt suspicious.

[READ MORE: AI-generated fake websites are eroding consumer trust]

Scam fears affect consumer behavior
The survey shows that this erosion in consumer trust in messages and notifications they receive is changing how they respond to marketing. Six-in-10 (61%) respondents said they now hesitate before clicking links from brands, delivery services, banks, event platforms or online marketplaces, even when the message looks normal. 

Almost half (49%) said they had ignored a legitimate-looking message because they could not tell whether it was real and 45% said they now verify more digital interactions than they did several years ago.

In addition, 52% of respondents said they would now want another form of confirmation before acting on an urgent request, even if it came through voice or video. And 47% said they would be more likely to verify a person through another channel before sending money, sharing documents, clicking a link or continuing a high-stakes conversation.

Split response to video messages

More than half (56%) of respondents said artificial intelligence-generated or manipulated video makes them less confident that seeing a person on screen proves they are real. However, 48% of respondents said video-based scams would be harder to question because seeing someone feels more convincing than reading a message.

The bagelry chain that urges customers to “Grip, Rip, and Dip” their freshly made bagels in a selection of whipped schmears and butters has initiated a plan to expand rapidly in New Jersey with 25 locations.

The first store opened this week in Westfield, about 10 miles south of Newark, near the New Jersey Transit train station that passes through the city’s downtown. 

The Wesport, Conn.-based chain currently operates 45 stores in 18 states that include Texas, California, Alabama, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Tennessee.

"We're excited to welcome PopUp Bagels to Westfield and celebrate the opening of its first New Jersey location," said Sidney Singer, VP of leasing at Levin Management Corporation, which represented the landlord in the deal. "Its unique concept has generated tremendous enthusiasm, and this location is an outstanding fit.”

PopUp is a two-time Brooklyn Bagelfest "Best Bagel" winner and has earned a loyal customer base across multiple states, including New York, Connecticut and Florida.