Survey: More than half of Americans use Gen AI for e-commerce monthly
A new survey reveals just how commonly generative artificial intelligence tools are used by online shoppers.
Around 50% of online shoppers in the United States, Canada, the U.K. and Australia use Gen AI for e-commerce tasks at least once a month, according to new data from marketing automation platform Omnisend. The U.S. has the highest rate of the four countries at 53%, with the top use cases for Gen AI among Americans being product research (57%), product recommendations (45%) and finding deals (40%)
ChatGPT is the most popular Gen AI tool, and is preferred by 46% of respondents who use AI for shopping. This figure rises to 65% among those in the U.S. A quarter of all respondents say that ChatGPT gives better product suggestions than Google.
[READ MORE: Survey: Most retailers plan to maintain or increase AI investment in 2026]
Across all four countries, about 27–29% of consumers say AI makes online shopping feel less overwhelming, with 13.9% of Australians, 13% of Brits, 12.5% of Americans and 10.8% of Canadians noting that they are more likely to buy a product when AI supports their decision.
“Googling often means ads, SEO content, and dozens of open tabs before you find what you need,” said Omnisend’s e-commerce expert Marty Bauer. “Gen AI tends to act like a knowledgeable friend – it distills, summarizes and points you in the right direction without the noise.”
Increased adoption of Gen AI tools for online shopping does come with some reservations, according to the Omnisend report. The vast majority (85%) of consumers say they have at least one concern about using the technology, while around a third (32%) of shoppers in each country still feel reluctant to let AI handle purchases on their behalf.
In the U.S., privacy and data security (43%), AI misinterpretation preferences (37%), receiving irrelevant suggestions (35%) and AI overuse (26%) are cause for concern.
“Openness to AI is clearly on the rise,” added Bauer. “But there’s a big difference between offering helpful suggestions and giving someone access to your wallet. As trust issues remain, ecommerce brands must be crystal clear about where, why and how they use AI.”
Omnisned surveyed 4,000 adults across the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia in July 2025 for its report.
