More Than Half of Consumers Will Use Gen AI to Shop This Year

New data from Adobe shows that while generative AI has begun influencing the online shopping experience for many consumers, it is primarily being used for the discovery and research phase, rather than for final conversion. 

According to the data, traffic from generative AI sources increased by 1,200 percent in February, as stacked up against July of last year. Such an increase could be, in part, due to an increased number of brands and retailers integrating generative AI into their technology roadmaps, and, in part, due to increasing consumer comfortability with the technology. 

Adobe found that about four in 10 consumers said they have used generative AI for shopping, and that 53 percent of consumers plan to do so in 2025. 

Some use cases have garnered more steam than others. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they used a generative AI tool for researching products, and just under half of respondents have used it for receiving product recommendations. 

The technology has also become a way to find deals for 43 percent of respondents and a way to seek out gift ideas for 35 percent of consumers. 

Still, the conversion rate—calculated based on the number of site visits that result in a user purchasing something—is still 9 percent lower among consumers using generative AI, as compared with other sources of traffic. That rate has come down 34 percentage points from July 2024, when generative AI traffic converted at a rate 43 percent lower than other sources of traffic. Adobe posits that decline means consumers have started to become more comfortable using chatbots as part of their transaction—and that consumers still prefer to use chatbots for research and consideration. 

While conversions may be lower when generative AI technology is involved, consumer engagement rate is higher; Adobe’s data found that those entering a company’s site because of generative AI, their engagement is 8 percent higher than when they enter a site from non-AI traffic sources, like email, generic search, paid search or social media. Those that enter a site because of generative AI also view 12 percent more pages per site visit and have a 23 percent lower bounce rate than those coming to a site from a non-AI source. 

Despite its preliminary success among consumrers, generative AI hasn’t been a hit in every subset of the retail industry. Adobe’s research shows that conversion rates are highest on jewelry and electronics and lowest on apparel, home goods and grocery items. 

Vivek Pandya, lead analyst for Adobe Digital Insights, said he anticipates that many companies will continue to refine their generative AI strategies to make the tools more enticing to online shoppers. 

“Online shoppers are seeing benefits in using an AI-powered chat interface, as it shortens the time it takes for them to receive information that is personalized to their needs. In Adobe’s survey, we found that of those who have used AI for shopping, 92 percent said it enhanced their experience, with 87 percent saying they are more likely to use AI for larger or more complex purchases,” Pandya said in a statement. “This is reshaping how businesses think about customer engagement, especially with the arrival of AI agents that will be able to handle more complex tasks and make highly tailored recommendations.”