AI assistants are increasingly used as a starting point for product discovery during the holiday shopping season, but they do not yet drive final purchase decisions.
Key points
- AI assistants are a starting point for 16% of shoppers' product searches.
- Only 9% of shoppers buy products directly from AI assistants.
- Most shoppers compare prices on other platforms before buying AI-recommended products.
- Customer reviews and price comparisons remain crucial for purchase decisions.
A Feedviser survey found that 16% of shoppers begin their product searches on platforms like ChatGPT. However, only 9% of these shoppers proceed to make a purchase directly from the AI.
When an AI assistant recommends a product, just 5% of respondents reported buying it immediately. The majority of shoppers, 95%, opt to compare prices on other platforms such as Google and Amazon before committing to a purchase.
By the numbers
- Shoppers starting product search with AI
- 16%
- Shoppers buying directly from AI
- 9%
- Shoppers buying AI-recommended products on the spot
- 5%
This customer behavior indicates that AI recommendations serve as an initial step in the shopping journey. Consumers continue to consult product reviews, compare pricing, visit retailer and brand websites, and examine shipping and return policies before making a final decision.
For brands, the challenge lies in ensuring that all customer touchpoints accurately represent their offerings and effectively convert interest into sales, even when AI is involved in the initial discovery phase.
Sources and references
Original report
AI boosts discovery but reviews still seal the deal, new research shows
Modern Retail
Read on Modern Retail (opens in a new tab)Linked in the original report
Ref 00EAXL69
Cite this
APA
Interestana AI Editorial. (2026, October 22). AI Product Discovery Boosts Sales, Reviews Remain Crucial. Interestana. https://interestana.com/articles/ai-boosts-discovery-but-reviews-still-seal-the-deal-new-research-shows-00eaxl69
MLA
“AI Product Discovery Boosts Sales, Reviews Remain Crucial.” Interestana, 22 Oct. 2026, interestana.com/articles/ai-boosts-discovery-but-reviews-still-seal-the-deal-new-research-shows-00eaxl69.
Chicago
Interestana AI Editorial. “AI Product Discovery Boosts Sales, Reviews Remain Crucial.” Interestana, October 22, 2026. https://interestana.com/articles/ai-boosts-discovery-but-reviews-still-seal-the-deal-new-research-shows-00eaxl69.
BibTeX
@misc{interestana_00eaxl69,
author = {{Interestana AI Editorial}},
title = {{AI Product Discovery Boosts Sales, Reviews Remain Crucial}},
howpublished = {Interestana},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
url = {https://interestana.com/articles/ai-boosts-discovery-but-reviews-still-seal-the-deal-new-research-shows-00eaxl69},
note = {Summary of reporting by Modern Retail, https://www.modernretail.co/ai-strategies/ai-boosts-discovery-but-reviews-still-seal-the-deal-new-research-shows/?utm\_campaign=modernretaildis\&\#038;utm\_medium=rss\&\#038;utm\_source=general-rss}
}Credit the source
Original reporting: Modern Retail, “AI boosts discovery but reviews still seal the deal, new research shows”, https://www.modernretail.co/ai-strategies/ai-boosts-discovery-but-reviews-still-seal-the-deal-new-research-shows/?utm_campaign=modernretaildis&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=general-rss(opens in a new tab)
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