New Research Reveals How Gen AI Is Reshaping Online Shopping Behavior

From search fatigue to rising reliance on AI tools, new data shows how shoppers are changing 
the way they research, compare, and make decisions.

New research found that nearly 60% of U.S. shoppers would consider using AI tools more often for holiday shopping, signaling a growing shift in how consumers find deals and purchase during high-intent retail moments.

The findings are based on a survey of 2,000 U.S.-based shoppers conducted as part of our Valentine's Day and Presidents Day Online Shopping Behavior study. The results show that AI and Gen AI tools are moving from experimentation to habit, becoming a trusted layer in the shopping journey alongside traditional search engines and retailer websites.

As AI becomes embedded earlier in the path to purchase, it's changing how consumers evaluate options, prioritizing speed, relevance, and confidence over endless browsing. For brands, this shift raises new challenges around visibility, trust, and attribution, and underscores the need to adapt to a shopping landscape increasingly shaped by AI-driven discovery.

Key Findings from the Report:

• Gen AI use for shopping is widespread. 70% stated that they have used Gen AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Gemini, Search.com) to compare prices of products across multiple retailers before buying.
• AI-generated shopping recommendations are becoming a common occurrence. 47% of shoppers find AI-generated shopping recommendations more helpful compared to traditional search results. 
• Shoppers are abandoning purchases due to an overwhelming amount of options and search results. Even though search results can provide dozens of product options at once, 78% of respondents have at one point or another abandoned a holiday purchase because the number of options and search results was so overwhelming they couldn't make a decision. 
• Valentine's Day shopping kicks off 2-3 weeks ahead of the holiday, and Presidents Day shopping begins within two weeks of the holiday. Survey data demonstrates that 42% of shoppers start researching for Valentine's Day purchases 2-3 weeks ahead of the holiday, whereas 55% of shoppers start researching for Presidents Day within two weeks of the holiday - with 37% of shoppers stating they do not follow Presidents Day sales. 
• Valentine's Day shoppers are prioritizing retailers and President's Day shoppers are prioritizing search engines and deal sites. Nearly 40% of shoppers start Valentine's Day research on retailer sites, while Presidents Day sees more use of search engines (e.g., Google, Bing) and deal sites.

"AI has changed how people shop online, but it hasn't solved the core problem of decision overload," said Melissa Anderson, President of Search.com. "Consumers want fewer, more relevant answers they can trust. Search.com was built to move beyond broad search and generic AI responses by aligning incentives, helping shoppers make confident decisions, giving brands access to high-intent moments, and ensuring publishers get compensated for their content."

Survey Methodology

The data was derived from a survey by Search.com conducted online via Pollfish on January 28, 2026. 2,000 Americans aged 18+ completed the survey. 

Of the respondents, 59% identified as female and 41% as male. All decimals in this report are rounded to the nearest percentage point, which may lead to certain numerical totals adding up to slightly more or less than 100%.

Download survey data here.

About Search.com

Search.com is restoring the economic integrity of the internet. A division of Public Good, Search provides publishers with attribution and revenue share in zero-click environments to sustain quality journalism. For advertisers, Search matches native ads to the semantic intent of the answer, reaching users at critical moments of motivation. For consumers, they receive cash for their usage and purchases. This restores the value exchange, proving that AI search can be profitable, sustainable, and good for the internet. Public Good is an Ad.com company.