AI is no longer an emerging feature in commerce. It is now embedded in how consumers move through the shopping funnel. But its impact is being widely misunderstood.
Rather than replacing human judgment, AI has become a decision support layer, helping shoppers compare prices, surface deals, and reduce complexity in an environment defined by inflation, oversupply, and economic pressure. Adoption has accelerated rapidly.
this season. Trust has followed, but selectively. Fifty two percent of consumers report some level of trust in AI to help find deals or gift ideas, signaling meaningful engagement without full delegation. As RetailMeNot ’s retail insights expert Stephanie Carls explains, “AI isn’t pushing people to spend more.
It’s changing how they decide. Shoppers use it to compare products, understand differences, and confirm choices they were already leaning toward.” The takeaway for retailers is clear. AI is influencing consideration earlier in the funnel, but it is not closing the sale on its own.
AI Accelerates Research, Not Decisions Consumers are using AI to compress what was once a fragmented, time intensive research process. Price comparisons, feature analysis, deal discovery, and product differentiation now happen inside a single interface. That efficiency has changed the pace of shopping, not the endpoint.
Even as usage rises, shoppers continue to validate AI assisted recommendations through reviews, social content, and peer input. AI shortens the path to clarity, but confidence remains the conversion trigger. Trust Is Rising, But It Is Not Uniform AI trust is stratified by…
