These consumers are more likely to use AI for online product search
The likelihood of customers to shop for products online with assistance from artificial intelligence varies by demographic.
Four-in-10 overall consumers surveyed by product content optimization platform Lily AI said they have experimented with a new AI-powered search engine to assist them. More men (56%) said they have used these newer AI technologies for shopping than women (32%).
More than half of Gen Z respondents (51%) have used AI-based search tools, such as ChatGPT, for shopping. The usage rate was lower for respondents in the millennial (45%), Gen X (32%) and baby boomer (22%) generations.
[READ MORE: Study: Consumers using generative AI for search help, recommendations]
Quality online search is critical
The survey also revealed the importance of a convenient online search experience to customer satisfaction. Eight-in-10 respondents have given up on a search because they couldn’t find what they wanted.
In addition, 85% of respondents overall, including 87% of women and 82% of men, said they would consider purchasing a similar item from another brand if they weren’t able to find what they were looking for from the brand they originally had in mind.
Close to six-in-10 respondents (57%) reported using a retailer’s search bar and said it’s important for the results to be relevant and aligned with their specific search phrases. Two-in-three respondents believe that retailers use descriptions that make it challenging for them to find what they want, such as using “cardinal luxe sweater” instead of “red cashmere sweater.”
Conversely, 71% of respondents said they would spend extra dollars per visit when they had a good search experience. Of those, 74% estimated they would spend $25 or more per visit with retailers where they had a positive search experience and 15% said they would spend more than $100 per visit.
Paying attention to detail
Nine-in-10 (89%) respondents said they have previously found a product online and then bought it in-store because they still had questions regarding quality, fit, color, or size, among other details.
Respondents use many different types of content to inform their purchase decisions, including product images (74%), reviews (60%), short product descriptions (52%), long product descriptions (44%) and videos (31%).
All respondent generations except boomers were consistent with product images, reviews, and product short descriptions as their top three informational detail selections, respectively. Baby boomers preferred long product descriptions over short descriptions and were more likely to use reviews.
In addition, 66% of women used product reviews to help make their purchase decisions compared to 49% of men.
Lily AI surveyed 2,081 consumers, all of whom shop online for clothing, shoes, accessories, home goods, and/or beauty products an average of at least once a month, in January 2025. All percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
