From Novelty to Necessity: New Bloomreach Consumer Survey Finds Shoppers Now Prefer AI Tools to Shop

Bloomreach, the AI company for personalization, today released its new consumer survey, Is AI Usurping Your Brand?, conducted among 4,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers. The survey shows AI adoption in shopping has accelerated dramatically over the past year, quickly moving from novelty to necessity. The findings also reveal AI has crossed a tipping point in shopping behavior: if forced to choose, more consumers say they would choose to shop through an AI tool than directly on a brand’s website.

“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.”

Shopping with AI has grown increasingly prevalent in 2026, with 75.4% of survey respondents having used AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini to help with shopping or purchase decisions. Satisfaction with those experiences are high: 80.4% of respondents said AI shopping experiences have already met or exceeded their expectations. This may be prompting a change in overall preferences:

• If forced to choose, 41.4% of survey respondents said they would choose to shop through AI, compared to 38% who would shop directly on a brand’s site.
• This is a shift from 2025*, when 58.9% preferred a brand’s site directly, and 41.1% preferred AI.

Adoption shows no signs of slowing. According to the survey, 55.6% of respondents plan to use AI even more over the next 12 months. That usage is quickly translating into certainty and buyer confidence. The survey found that when shopping with AI:

• 60.8% of respondents cited increases their confidence in purchase decisions
• 37.5% of respondents cited an increase in overall spending
• 39.5% of respondents cited an increase in how much they shop

As for how consumers are using AI in their shopping journey:

• 48% of respondents use AI to compare product features or prices
• 46% of respondents use AI to search for deals or discounts
• 41% of respondents use AI to find product ideas or inspiration

Consumer behavior is rapidly changing, and customer engagement is poised to change with it. 

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