Gen AI Is Now the Go-To Shopping Advisor
What happened
Generative AI is rapidly becoming consumers' primary tool for shopping, according to a new report from Synchrony. App data shows strong traction for chatbots like Claude, which are being used for everything from product comparisons to personalized recommendations.
Why it matters
The global AI-enabled e-commerce market is valued at $9.01 billion in 2025 and is projected to surge to nearly $75 billion by 2035. This growth is fueled by widespread adoption, with 97% of retailers already implementing or developing an AI program. The impact is clear: AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites skyrocketed by 4,700% year-over-year as of July 2025. This shift in traffic is creating more engaged customers. Shoppers who arrive on a retail site from a generative AI source spend 32% more time per visit, view 10% more pages, and have a 27% lower bounce rate compared to visitors from traditional channels like search and social media. Of consumers who have used AI for shopping, 85% report that it improved their experience. During the 2025 holiday season, 56% of U.S. consumers utilized generative AI for their shopping needs. The most common uses among this group were comparing products (34%) and searching for the best prices (29%). This reflects a broader trend, with 75% of consumers now taking more time to find the best deals when making a purchase. A significant generational divide exists in the trust of AI recommendations. While 45% of Gen Z consumers are comfortable with product suggestions from an AI tool, only 25% of Boomers feel the same way. Similarly, 44% of Gen Z are comfortable with AI-driven financing options, a sentiment shared by less than 20% of Boomers. Despite this trust gap, AI's influence on revenue is growing. At Amazon, 35% of all revenue is already attributed to its AI-powered recommendation engine. Across the board, while revenue-per-visit from AI-driven shoppers has historically lagged, the gap is closing fast—improving from being 97% lower than non-AI visits in mid-2024 to just 27% lower one year later.
Key numbers
- The global AI-enabled e-commerce market is valued at $9.01 billion in 2025 and is projected to surge to nearly $75 billion by 2035.
- This growth is fueled by widespread adoption, with 97% of retailers already implementing or developing an AI program.
- retail websites skyrocketed by 4,700% year-over-year as of July 2025.
- Shoppers who arrive on a retail site from a generative AI source spend 32% more time per visit, view 10% more pages, and have a 27% lower bounce rate compared to visitors from traditional channels like search and social media.
Quick answers
What happened in Gen AI Is Now the Go-To Shopping Advisor?
Generative AI is rapidly becoming consumers' primary tool for shopping, according to a new report from Synchrony. App data shows strong traction for chatbots like Claude, which are being used for everything from product comparisons to personalized recommendations.
Why does Gen AI Is Now the Go-To Shopping Advisor matter?
The global AI-enabled e-commerce market is valued at $9.01 billion in 2025 and is projected to surge to nearly $75 billion by 2035. This growth is fueled by widespread adoption, with 97% of retailers already implementing or developing an AI program. The impact is clear: AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites skyrocketed by 4,700% year-over-year as of July 2025. This shift in traffic is creating more engaged customers. Shoppers who arrive on a retail site from a generative AI source spend 32% more time per visit, view 10% more pages, and have a 27% lower bounce rate compared to visitors from traditional channels like search and social media. Of consumers who have used AI for shopping, 85% report that it improved their experience. During the 2025 holiday season, 56% of U.S. consumers utilized generative AI for their shopping needs. The most common uses among this group were comparing products (34%) and searching for the best prices (29%). This reflects a broader trend, with 75% of consumers now taking more time to find the best deals when making a purchase. A significant generational divide exists in the trust of AI recommendations. While 45% of Gen Z consumers are comfortable with product suggestions from an AI tool, only 25% of Boomers feel the same way. Similarly, 44% of Gen Z are comfortable with AI-driven financing options, a sentiment shared by less than 20% of Boomers. Despite this trust gap, AI's influence on revenue is growing. At Amazon, 35% of all revenue is already attributed to its AI-powered recommendation engine. Across the board, while revenue-per-visit from AI-driven shoppers has historically lagged, the gap is closing fast—improving from being 97% lower than non-AI visits in mid-2024 to just 27% lower one year later.
