Dive Brief:
- Consumers are buying more from generative AI’s suggestions, a trend that has persisted beyond the holiday season, research released last week by Adobe found. Compared to July 2024, traffic from generative AI sources increased by 1,200% in February.
- Electronics and jewelry boasted the highest conversion rates, Adobe found. The lowest lies in apparel, home goods and grocery categories.
- Generative AI traffic has doubled every two months since last September, according to the report, which surveyed 5,000 U.S. consumers.
Dive Insight:
While shopping, consumers are using generative AI to conduct research, receive product recommendations and deals, Adobe found. Respondents also reported they use the tool for getting present ideas, finding unique products and creating shopping lists.
Almost 2 in 5 respondents say they’ve used generative AI for online shopping, while just over half say they plan to do so this year, Adobe found
“Online shoppers are seeing benefits in using an AI-powered chat interface, as it shortens the time it takes for them to receive information that is personalized to their needs,” Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights said in a statement. “This is reshaping how businesses think about customer engagement, especially with the arrival of AI agents that will be able to handle more complex tasks and make highly tailored recommendations.”
Most respondents, more than 9 in 10, said using AI when shopping enhanced their experience, Pandya noted. Additionally, 87% say they’re more likely to use AI for larger or more complex purchases.
Last year, Adobe conducted a similar survey and found nearly 3 in 5 respondents reported that generative AI already improved their online shopping experience. Over time, the generative AI customer experience has grown to be more useful and satisfying to customers.
Generative AI tools are drawing shoppers away from traditional search engines, Capgemini recently found. Shoppers also want the tech to aggregate results from online search engines, social media platforms and retailers’ websites.