Is AI Usurping Your Brand?
What New Research Finds About How Consumers Shop With AI
43.4%
New research* shows that 43.4% of consumers feel more loyal to the AI tool that found the product they want than the brand that made it.
That sounds like bad news for your brand, but it doesn’t have to be. See what the data says about how shoppers are using AI, and what you can do to keep up.
*The data in this report is based on a consumer survey run by Bloomreach with over 4,000 respondents across the US and UK.
From Curiosity to Habit
Shoppers Don’t Want AI — They Need It
Even just a year ago**, consumers approached AI in the shopping experience as more of a curiosity. Now that perception has shifted, with AI tools becoming a staple of everyday behavior. 87.6% of shoppers use AI tools at least once a week (vs. 69.5% last year), while 41.8% use these tools daily (vs. only 24.1% last year).
Additionally, 75.4% of shoppers have used AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini to help with shopping or purchase decisions. The shopping experience that once lived entirely on your brand site is increasingly being passed through third-party tools.
**Based on a 2025 consumer survey run by Bloomreach with over 1,000 respondents.
Shoppers that use AI tools at least once a week
2025
69.5%
2026
87.6%
Daily AI tool use
2025
24.1%
2026
41.8%
Shift in shopper expectations
The New Expectation: Instant Certainty
The Internet brought about instant gratification — the ability to get access to any kind of content and information with just a click. Now, AI is bringing about a similarly seismic shift in shopper expectations: instant certainty.
Consumers are increasingly turning to AI to compare product features or prices, search for deals or discounts, and find product ideas or inspiration — and they’re doing it at much higher rates than just a year ago.
Comparing product features or prices
2025
35%
2026
47.6%
Searching for deals or discounts
2025
42.1%
2026
46.3%
Finding product ideas or inspiration
2025
33.5%
2026
40.8%
And AI is proving to be effective, with 60.8% of surveyed consumers saying that AI increases their confidence in purchase decisions.
Personalized recommendations, conversational shopping, and intent-driven search — all of these AI features have helped improve how people shop online. Compare this to only 36% in 2025 saying they were “very confident” that AI’s information was accurate and relevant.
60.8%
of consumers say AI increases their confidence in purchase decisions
The Loyalty Shift
What Does This Mean for Marketing Teams?
Shoppers are starting to give their loyalty to AI solutions instead of the brand you worked tirelessly to create and promote. That means you have to get creative with how you reach customers.
Stop Thinking About Strategy in Terms of Channels
43.4%
43.4% of consumers feel more loyal to the AI tool that found the product they want than the brand that made it, and 41.4% of consumers would rather shop through AI than directly through your site if forced to choose.
As consumers increase their reliance on AI tools for shopping, their behavior becomes even less predictable, which means brands can no longer rely on channel-centric strategies to reach them.
Brands that want to capture customer loyalty will need to focus on being there for shoppers in real time, at the exact moment they need it, whether it’s a nudge on SMS, a promotional email, or a conversational shopping prompt.
Make Sure Your Brand Voice Comes Through
60.5%
You need to imbue every aspect of the shopping experience — including any AI tools or assistants — with your brand messaging, positioning, voice, and tone.
Double Down on Personalization
48.8%
It’s clear that personalization is a priority for your customers, so that means every message you send needs to have deeper and more relevant personalization.
NEXT STEPS
Connect With Marketing Leaders To Navigate What’s Next
AI is rapidly becoming a crucial aspect of the shopping journey, whether through AI-powered recommendations or AI shopping assistants. As consumers rely more on these solutions, brands face a new challenge: keeping customers loyal to their brand and not the AI.