当AI引导购物旅程：人工智能驱动商业时代下营销人员的机会

When AI Guidesthe ShoppingJourney OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETERS INTHE AGE OF AI DRIVEN COMMERCE What’s in Store Welcome to the Era of AI-driven Commerce Current State of AdoptionWho’s using AI and why AI’s Value in the Purchase JourneyWhere it’s most influential The Trust GapMore steps, more confidence Future OutlookWhat shoppers want next from AI Call to ActionRecommendations and Resources WHEN AI GUIDES THE SHOPPING JOURNEY Welcome to the era of AI-driven commerce As digital shopping is being redefined byintelligent assistance, we’re witnessing afundamental shift in how consumers evaluateand make purchase decisions. To explore this transformation, IAB partnered with TalkShoppe to conduct a comprehensive, first-of-it’s-kindresearch initiative.Including 450+ digital ethnographiesand a survey of 600 US consumers, this studyanalyzed actual shopping behavior to uncover: AI is not just changing commerce - it’spowering the next wave of growth. ●What the AI-enhanced shopping experience lookslike in practice●How AI is used alongside other online services●Where and how brands fit into this ecosystem●The future opportunity for marketers Consumers are increasingly turning to AI toolsto guide their shopping journeys, fromdiscovery and research to product comparisonand purchase. Nearly 40% of U.S. consumersnow use AI when shopping1, and this holidayseason alone AI is expected to influence over$260 billion in global e-commerce sales2. We found that AI is turning shopping into a moredynamic sequence of decisions. It helps cut throughclutter, narrows choices, and builds confidence - but italso prompts shoppers to take more follow-up steps toconfirm what they find, creating new, high-intentmoments for marketers to earn attention and trust. For marketers, this shift represents both achallenge and breakthrough opportunity. AI isreshaping the path to purchase, and successwill depend on understanding the waysconsumers engage with AI alongside otheronline sources, while finding effective ways tocommunicate within these new experiencesthat define the future of commerce. AI is reorganizing the moments where marketing ismost effective. This report reveals the touchpoints thatmatter most, therealbehaviors shaping post-AIshopping, and the shifts that align media andmessaging to this new reality. WHEN AI GUIDES THE SHOPPING JOURNEY METHODOLOGY IAB partnered with Talk Shoppe on a first-of-its-kind, multi-phased research study toexplore the digital consumer journey and how AI and other online sources work together PHASE II:NATIONAL CONSUMER SURVEY PHASE I: OBSERVED ONLINE COMMUNITIES DEFINITIONS Ascreen‑recorded narrated online community of 150US AI users completing over 450 AI shopping sessionsfor low, medium, and high priced products on theirdesktop and mobile devices. Anethnography-informed survey of 600 US consumerswas conducted to further quantify what was uncoveredin the communities. The survey included both “AIShoppers” and “AI Shopping Intenders.” “AI TOOLS:” Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT,Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, MetaAI, Google Gemini. Search AI features suchas Google AI Overviews and Bing’s AI. In the sessions, consumers shopped online for productsand talked through what they were doing and why, whilethey were doing it. Touchpoints and friction momentswere monitored and coded. AI SHOPPERSUse AI tools/features occasionally or ONLINE SOURCE EXAMPLES: frequently to help with online shopping. ●Search engines: e.g., Google, Bing●Marketplaces:e.g., Amazon, Ebay●Retailers:e.g., Best Buy, Target●Brands:e.g., Nike, Apple●Community forums:e.g., Reddit, Quora●Social Media:e.g., TikTok, YouTube●News sites:e.g., NYT, Consumer Reports AI SHOPPING INTENDERSUse AI tools/features in general. They don’t yet use AI forshopping, but are open tothe idea of doing so. When AI Guides the Shopping JourneyOPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETERS IN THE AGE OF AI DRIVEN COMMERCE KEY INSIGHTS 05 01 04 03 02 It’s most effective providing claritymid-journey where complexity peaks However AI Shoppers frequentlyrun into friction, eroding trust AI isn’t removing steps from thejourney - it creates new ones AI-driven shopping anopportunity for marketers AI has become an essentialtool in the consumer journey While AI influences discovery,shoppers say it’s biggest strength ishelping them in the research phase:comparing products and narrowingdown choices. As a result, more thanthree-quarters say it helps them makedecisions faster and feel moreconfident in their purchases. Consumers are rapidly adopting AIfor shopping, but lack of trust is afriction point. Brands and retailershave a significant opportunity todevelop a strategy to deepencustomer relationships through AI,while meeting consumers in theshopping moments that matter most. Shoppers often run into challengeswith AI, such as broken links ormissing/conflicting productinformation. Only 46% of shoppersfully trust the shoppingrecommendations AI gave th