7 in 10 Americans Now Use AI to Help Them Shop, Survey Finds

New survey also finds Americans expect to use AI for shopping more in the future, a trend that is permanently altering the consumer retail space

DALLAS & OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AI has become a mainstream shopping channel for American consumers, and its influence is only accelerating. New national survey data from LDWW shows that nearly 7 in 10 Americans are already using AI to shop for products and services, and 71% expect to use the technology even more in the years ahead, a trend that is fundamentally reshaping how consumers discover, research and buy from brands.

Growing Trend: AI Search is now “AI Shop” as more Americans turn to the tool to buy products

AI shopping has quickly become the norm for millions of American consumers who are increasingly using the tool to discover brands, compare options and even complete the purchase itself, many times with zero clicks. According to U.S. shoppers, the momentum around AI-driven buying is expected to soar in coming years, as is reflected by these findings from the LDWW survey of 2,000 adults:

• Roughly 70% say they shop with AI today and plan to use it even more in the future
• Nearly two-thirds say AI influenced a recent purchase decision
• 30% have already used AI to buy products or services

Trusted Source: Consumers trust AI for shopping, but verify AI-based brand information

For a large share of Americans, AI is expanding from a simple research tool into a trusted shopping resource on par with online reviews and personal recommendations. At the same time, consumers are reporting a “trust but verify” approach, paying close attention to where AI gets its information:

• Nearly 1 in 5 Americans say AI tools are the most trustworthy source they use to shop
• 43% trust the brand information they encounter on platforms
• Over half actively check the citations provided by AI
• Nearly 60% say it is important to know what sources are used to form AI answers

What This Means for Brands

The survey points to an emerging reality for companies in how they market themselves and their offerings. AI platforms are already shaping consumer perception and brand selection, a trend that will only grow and presents significant opportunities (and risks). In fact, McKinsey estimates that AI will influence up to $750 billion in U.S. consumer spending by 2028, forcing brands to quickly boost visibility in AI systems or risk being misrepresented — or absent — from AI shopping answers.

LDWW is helping consumer organizations navigate this dynamic shift with data-backed insights, including agentic AI visibility audits that help each client build strategies for improving overall visibility across AI search and shopping platforms. These detailed reports provide competitive rankings in AI-generated answers across all key brand and industry topics and highlight opportunities for both owned and earned content to boost perceptions and visibility within multiple large language models. The brands moving first are treating AI visibility as a core component of discoverability and conversion, the same way they once treated search and review-site presence.

About This Release

In keeping with the subject matter, this news release was drafted with the assistance of AI. Fitting, perhaps, for a story about how AI is changing the way all of us work, shop and decide. LDWW’s team reviewed, edited and approved the final copy, because even the best AI platform still needs a human at the helm.

About the Survey

The LDWW Consumer AI Survey was conducted in late February 2026 among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 U.S. adults and examines how Americans are using AI tools to discover, research and purchase products and services, as well as their level of trust in AI-generated information. Full methodology and additional findings are available upon request.

To learn more about LDWW, its clients, work and areas of expertise, please visit www.LDWW.co or reach out to [e-mail].