Nearly 4 in 10 (38%) US consumers already use AI for shopping, and another 52% plan to in the future, according to a new report from the IAB.

“At first it was curiosity,” said Jack Koch, senior vice president of research and insights at the IAB. “But AI, it’s influential, it’s helpful. It provides and organizes the next steps to someone’s journey.”

AI as a shopping companion

That sense of assistance is driving adoption.

• 46% of AI shoppers use AI most or every time they shop, and 80% expect to rely on it more moving forward, said the report.
• They’re also high-value consumers, spending 1.3 times more per month online than non-AI users.

“It’s helping drive and curate where people should go next… you can put in your technical specifications and get products that might meet your needs, or you could put in products that you like and want other finds,” said Koch. “There’s so many different ways you can use AI for that next step.”

But AI isn’t replacing the shopping journey; it’s enhancing it, according to Koch.

“It is a confidence-building step,” he said. “Again, it’s just not the last time you’ll see these customers, these highly motivated customers. They’re motivated after AI too.”

• Shoppers ranked AI as the second-most helpful and influential source in their decision-making, behind search engines and retailer websites.
• 83% say AI makes shopping more fun, while 85% say its recommendations feel personalized.

For marketers, this distinction is crucial.

• 95% of shoppers took additional steps online after using AI to feel confident in their purchase, averaging nearly four follow-up actions, up from just 1.6 before using AI.
• “AI isn’t the end-all, be-all when it comes to buying, it is a step in the process,” Koch emphasized. “It’s an extremely helpful step in the process, but there’s still more steps to go before people make that decision.”

Bridging the trust gap

While shoppers rely on AI for discovery, comparison, and decision-making, they don’t fully trust its recommendations. Only 46% of consumers fully trust AI’s shopping recommendations, and 89% double-check AI’s information with other sources.

So what can brands do?

“It’s all about ensuring that all the product information is correct, all that the information that you’re putting out on the internet or advertising is all the same so AI isn’t even conflicting itself.”

The survey data backs this up. Some 88% of shoppers said their confidence would grow if AI responses included sourcing or where the information is coming from, and 75% would trust AI tools more if they understood how they generate their answers.

Keeping a human element is also essential. “Community forums, working with creators… that human element we saw in our research, that’s the second most important thing driving trust,” said Koch.

Meeting shoppers in the moments that matter

Even as AI simplifies decision-making, it sends shoppers back to the digital shelf.

• Nearly 8 in 10 consumers (78%) visited a retailer or marketplace site to validate AI suggestions, and traffic to those sites nearly tripled after an AI interaction.
• This makes accuracy and consistency across brand touchpoints more vital than ever.
• “Ensure your product information is up to date,” Koch said. “Ensure when you put product information up there, you might want to say when it’s last verified because AI does read information exactly.”

This means traditional advertising still plays a foundational role.

“If people are already aware of a brand, they’re going to notice it in AI more as well," he said "Traditional advertising has its place before even somebody gets there, and that’s extremely important.”

As AI evolves, Koch’s advice for marketers is pragmatic.

“Focus on the things you can control,” he said. “You may not be able to control AI algorithms all the time, but you can control how your information is displayed… ensuring all of your information is up to date.”

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