Shoppers Make Growing Use of AI, Surveys Show

* AI is rapidly gaining influence over purchase decisions as consumers rethink which sources they should trust, a new survey-based study by Boston Consulting Group concludes. “AI is already among consumers’ most trusted sources, along with experts and peers, and they expect their trust in it to increase by 15 percentage points by 2030, faster than any other source,” the report notes.

“Many companies are still competing for a consumer who has already moved on,” said Aparna Bharadwaj, a Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG, and a coauthor of the report. “… Four in ten consumers feel overwhelmed by the volume of information they encounter, and they are increasingly turning to AI as a trusted source to help them cut through that noise. Understanding the implications of that emerging trend is now central to any company’s growth agenda.”

Click here for more from the BCG study, which was based on a survey of more than 13,000 consumers across 12 markets, supplemented by over 100 in-depth consumer interviews and an analysis of more than 1000 brands.

* AI-powered tools are increasingly helping consumers determine where to trade up, where to save and which brands deserve consideration, a new research study by NielsenIQ and World Data Lab concludes. “Consumers are making purchasing decisions earlier and through more channels than ever before,” said Troy Treangen, Chief AI & Product Officer at NIQ. “AI-powered recommendations, retail media, and social commerce are increasingly influencing which products consumers discover, consider and ultimately purchase, creating entirely new opportunities—and challenges—for brands.”

 For instance, brands that fail to optimize product content, digital shelf presence and visibility risk becoming less visible as AI agents and recommendation engines play a larger role in shopping journeys, the report notes.

Click here for more from the NIQ/World Data Lab study.