AI Enters the Product Discovery Funnel

The research, which drew on a set of primary sources, found that 66% of consumers use AI at some point in the product discovery journey — the stage where shoppers identify, compare and shortlist items before buying.

The finding signals that AI assistants and search features have moved beyond early-adopter novelty and into mainstream shopping behavior, sitting alongside conventional search engines, marketplaces and social platforms as discovery channels.

The study did not specify which AI tools consumers rely on most, nor how AI-driven discovery translates into final purchases, leaving those questions open.

Implications for Retailers and Platforms

For online retailers and platforms, the data suggests that product visibility increasingly depends on how well listings surface in AI-mediated search, not only in traditional keyword results. Merchants may need to adapt how product information is structured and presented to remain discoverable as more shoppers begin their journey with an AI tool.

The share of AI-assisted discovery is also likely to keep shifting as assistants become more capable of handling comparison and recommendation tasks end to end.

With two-thirds of consumers already incorporating AI into product discovery, the claim that AI has become a mainstream shopping research tool is Mostly True.

Verdict: Mostly True