CHICAGO – Following its recent report on the rise of agentic commerce, NielsenIQ recently released more data showing that AI is indeed becoming embedded in how consumers shop—providing data-backed views into how this shift is taking place.
NIQ’s findings show that AI is influencing how consumers evaluate options, compare products, find the best pricing or discounts, and narrow choices before making a purchase. Rather than fully automating decisions, AI is a guiding influence, reshaping the path to purchase while consumers remain in control.
AI adoption is already taking hold across the shopping journey, with consumers engaging at varying levels of involvement. Key findings from the new research include:
- 42% of consumers have used at least one AI tool to shop within the past month
- 17% have used AI for product recommendations
- 10% have used a voice assistant to purchase and/or reorder items
- 19% use a subscribe or auto-replenish feature for repeat purchases
- 10%have engaged with an AI-powered shopping assistant
- 5% have used fully autonomous AI agents to place orders on their behalf
Together, these behaviors show that while fully autonomous shopping remains limited, AI-assisted decision-making is becoming a mainstream part of how consumers shop. “We are witnessing the early stages of an industry-wide fundamental shift from search to decision,” said Liz Buchanan, president of North America, NIQ via press release. “AI is not replacing the consumer, but it is dramatically reshaping how choices are made. The companies that win in this next era will be the ones that understand how to show up in those moments and deliver both value and trust.”
The research also highlights a critical nuance: while consumers are increasingly open to AI-assisted shopping, most are not yet ready to fully delegate decisions. Instead, AI is being adopted as a tool to simplify and accelerate choices, compressing the path from consideration to selection without removing human control.
This dynamic is elevating the role of trust. As AI plays a larger role in shaping what consumers see and evaluate, expectations around accuracy, transparency, and data responsibility are rising. Consumers remain willing to switch brands for better value, but in an AI-influenced environment, brands that fail to meet these expectations risk not being surfaced at all.
For retailers and manufacturers, this shift introduces a new challenge: traditional measures of performance are no longer enough. As AI plays a larger role in shaping decisions, visibility within recommendations, and influence across the full decision journey will become critical drivers of growth.
“The shelf is evolving,” Buchanan said. “It’s no longer just physical or digital; it’s algorithmic. That changes how products compete, how performance is measured, and how growth is unlocked.”