AI devices for illustration ChatGPT and Gemini are now an integral portion of really consumers investigation products.
Shoppers usage them to comparison options, measure trade-offs, and explain decisions during the buying process.
But really overmuch power do these devices genuinely have? And wherever do they fresh alongside accepted hunt engines?
To reply that, we surveyed complete 1,000 U.S. consumers to find retired really they usage AI for merchandise research. Here’s what we found.
Methodology
To quantify the effect of AI connected merchandise find and commerce, we surveyed 1,030 U.S. shoppers successful December 2025 crossed the pursuing demographics:
- Age: Respondents were comparatively evenly distributed crossed the 18–34 (27.6%), 35–54 (34.7%), and 55+ (37.7%) property brackets.
- Income: Respondents spanned each family income levels, from nether $25,000 annually (12.8%) to complete $200,000 (5.1%). The largest conception earns betwixt $100,000 and $149,999 (22.2%).
- Education: Half of the respondents (50%) clasp a bachelor’s, master’s, aliases doctoral degree.
Key Takeaways:
- 48% of U.S. consumers usage AI daily, and 85% usage it astatine slightest weekly. 55% also leverage AI specifically for merchandise investigation astatine slightest weekly. AI visibility is nary longer optional for brands.
- 77% of consumers usage AI and accepted hunt together. AI has not replaced search—it has conscionable made the travel little linear.
- 43% of consumers person discovered a caller marque done AI. However, ranking arsenic the first marque mentioned successful an AI consequence hardly moves the needle—only 20% opportunity a marque stands retired because it appears earlier successful the answer. What matters is really intelligibly and relevantly a marque is described.
- 50% of consumers person made a acquisition aft utilizing AI during research, crossed each class and value point.
- 69% expect AI to play a bigger domiciled successful really they shop successful the future. The displacement is not slowing down.
Let’s dive deeper into those insights.
1. AI Is Now Part of How Consumers Shop, At Every Stage
AI devices person moved from novelty to wont for U.S. consumers. 85% of our respondents usage AI astatine slightest weekly, 48% prosecute daily, and 25% usage it aggregate times per day
For brands, this intends AI visibility deserves typical attraction arsenic a find transmission — because their assemblage is already there.
While location are a batch of AI platforms, user AI usage is concentrated astir a fewer ascendant platforms. This suggests that brands tin attraction their efforts strategically and don’t request to dispersed themselves excessively thin:
- ChatGPT leads pinch 64% of users utilizing it monthly, followed by Gemini astatine 49%
- Usage of Google's AI Mode (28%) and AI Overviews (22%) suggests that galore consumers are utilizing AI wrong accepted hunt alternatively than switching tools
- Meta AI reaches 39% monthly done Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp
- Grok (12%), Perplexity (9%), and Claude (8%) way importantly among wide consumers, though they whitethorn scale higher among master audiences
What consumers leverage AI for is arsenic broad. 58% usage it to look up accusation aliases get explanations, 46% to study astir a topic, 38% specifically for merchandise research, and 30% to comparison options broadside by side.
For brands, this intends location are opportunities to look successful AI responses crossed the full purchaser travel — from erstwhile they commencement to research a taxable to the infinitesimal they determine betwixt brands.
2. Consumers Rely connected AI to Research, Compare, and Evaluate Products
That past constituent shows AI is not conscionable being utilized astatine the apical of the funnel—U.S. consumers are employing it crossed each shape of the acquisition decision:
- 57% usage AI to constrictive down their choices
- 51% usage it during early discovery
- 53% comparison products they are already considering
- 50% usage it to make a last decision, pinch 55% doing this astatine slightest weekly, and 25% daily.
In addition, 55% usage AI to investigation products astatine slightest weekly—25% of whom do truthful daily.
When utilizing AI successful these ways, the queries consumers tally are much targeted than a emblematic search:
- 52% specify constraints upfront—a budget, a required feature, a compatibility need, aliases a circumstantial usage case
- 33% spell backmost and distant pinch the AI, refining their mobility aggregate times
- Only 43% commencement pinch a wide query earlier narrowing down
This level of specificity intends that a clear and precise merchandise explanation tin straight impact whether AI surfaces it successful its answers to consumers.
When it comes to making a purchase, however, AI acts arsenic a select alternatively than a closer:
- 47% of consumers usage AI to constrictive down their options, but past move to Google for reviews aliases pricing
- 40% usage AI to investigation aliases comparison options, but complete the acquisition elsewhere
- 39% inquire AI for recommendations, and past shop connected marketplaces for illustration Amazon
- Only 20% opportunity they usage AI passim the full process, from investigation to last decision
What this suggests is that AI determines which brands make the shortlist, but different channels still matter for acquisition decisions.
3. AI and Google Search Are Not Competing—Consumers Use Both
Despite what galore assume, AI has not replaced accepted search. Rather, it complements it:
- 77% of our respondents usage AI and hunt engines together, and only 4% trust mostly connected AI
- Search engines for illustration Google stay the much communal starting constituent astatine 33%, pinch AI adjacent down astatine 26%
- 18% move betwixt some passim the investigation process
In different words, consumers are utilizing some channels for the aforesaid acquisition decision.
This intends brands request contented that some ranks good connected Google and surfaces successful AI responses.
What’s more, AI answers are not the extremity constituent for consumers’ exploration: 94% of users click links successful AI responses astatine slightest sometimes, pinch 38% saying they do truthful often aliases almost always. Only 3% opportunity they ne'er click.
For brands, this indicates that AI citations tin beryllium a powerful root of high-intent traffic.
In fact, we recovered that AI summaries often accelerate user investigation without replacing website visits:
- 87% of U.S. consumers opportunity AI summaries thief them understand brands faster
- 68% sojourn marque websites conscionable arsenic often aliases much than before, pinch 22% much apt to sojourn marque sites aft an AI interaction
- Only 11% opportunity they are overmuch little apt to sojourn a website aft utilizing AI
In different words, AI is compressing the early stages of research, not eliminating what comes after.
4. AI Is Changing How Consumers Discover and Evaluate Brands
A mention successful an AI consequence is not conscionable passive exposure—it drives contiguous action for consumers.
When an AI instrumentality mentions a marque aliases product, 40% of users hunt Google for much information, 36% usage Google to comparison it pinch alternatives, 34% inquire the AI follow-up questions, and 28% spell straight to the brand's website.
Only 8% disregard the mention unless they already cognize the brand. For brands not presently appearing successful AI responses, this is the pipeline they are missing.
In different words, being discovered done AI is already a use for brands: 43% of consumers study having recovered a caller marque done an AI tool, while 47% of U.S. consumers study noticing AI-mentioned brands often aliases very often.
For brands that do look successful AI responses, the position of the mention matters little than the existent content. Only 20% opportunity a marque stands retired because it appears higher aliases earlier successful the answer.
What really influences their attraction is clarity astir the brand:
- 43% opportunity a clearer aliases much elaborate mentation makes a marque guidelines out
- 39% return statement of the value aliases worth context
- 37% are influenced by descriptions that are a bully fresh for their circumstantial needs
- 28% are influenced by nonstop comparisons betwixt options
The accusation for brands is that a circumstantial and high-quality explanation successful AI responses—incorporating their ain content, reviews, and third-party coverage—matters much than wherever they are mentioned successful the response.
5. Consumers Trust AI Recommendations, But Verify Before Buying
Consumers spot AI capable to commencement their investigation pinch it, but not capable to skip verification earlier making a acquisition decision.
75% of U.S. consumers complaint their spot successful AI recommendations astatine 3 aliases 4 retired of 5. Only 20% spot AI completely, and only 7% definitive debased trust.
That conditional spot translates into accordant verification behavior, wherever consumers will double-check AI’s recommendations elsewhere earlier buying.
In fact, 86% of U.S. consumers opportunity they verify AI marque recommendations astatine slightest sometimes, including 20% who ever do so.
Google is the superior validation transmission astatine 68%, followed by marque websites astatine 48%. Review sites (35%), YouTube (35%), friends aliases family (33%), and societal media (30%) besides play important roles.
For brands, this intends that being mentioned successful AI is conscionable the commencement of the buyer’s journey. Your beingness connected Google, your website, and third-party reappraisal platforms each request to clasp up erstwhile a user goes looking.
6. AI Already Influences Real Purchases Across Every Category
AI is already generating conversions for brands, and not conscionable low-stakes purchases. It is driving existent purchases crossed each class and value point.
50% of consumers person made a acquisition aft utilizing AI during research, while 22% person completed a acquisition straight wrong an AI tool.
And while that autochthonal AI commerce is not yet dominant, it is existent and growing.
Consumers are utilizing AI for mundane and high-consideration purchases alike:
- 39% opportunity AI has influenced a unit aliases user equipment purchase
- Leisure and manner purchases, specified arsenic nutrient (29%), wellness (29%), and electronics (27%) are among the astir communal categories
- Higher-consideration products and services specified arsenic recreation (21%), acquisition (16%), location services (15%), and financial services (13%) are little common, but still show important AI influence
In position of the worth and effect of their purchases, 37% of U.S. consumers besides trust connected AI astir for mid-range purchases for illustration electronics and subscriptions, 28% usage it for high-cost aliases high-risk decisions, and 36% opportunity they usage AI arsenic crossed each acquisition types.
No class is insulated from AI power astatine this point.
And here’s what matters the most: this behavioral displacement is not slowing down.
69% of U.S. consumers expect AI to play a bigger aliases overmuch bigger domiciled successful really they shop successful the future. Only 3% expect it to shrink.
At the aforesaid time, 46% expect relying little connected accepted hunt engines arsenic AI improves, and 42% little connected societal media. Review sites (34%), influencers (33%), ads (30%), and blogs (28%) are besides expected to suffer ground.
For brands still treating AI visibility arsenic optional, that model is closing. It’s becoming an imperative.
Future-Proof Your Brand for Modern Search Discovery
Consumers are utilizing AI correct passim the full buying process: to learn, to comparison and constrictive their options, and to validate their decisions.
While they still move to hunt engines and marque websites, AI is progressively shaping which brands they see successful the first place.
What this intends for you and your marque is that some AI visibility and accepted hunt visibility are important for succeeding.
Semrush One tin thief you way and optimize your brand’s capacity crossed each hunt surfaces. It shows really your business appears successful AI responses, helps you way competitor moves, and reveals really Google and LLMs position your brand.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·