Search Engine Land: 77% use AI
- Search Engine Land republished Exploding Topics data showing 77.6% of 1,009 U.S. consumers used artificial intelligence for shopping in the last six months. - The same survey found the most common autonomous spending limit was $0, while the median consumer would cap an artificial intelligence purchase at $50. - The split lands as AI shopping moves mainstream but still trails trust at checkout. (mckinsey.com)
A new Search Engine Land report says artificial intelligence is now routine in shopping, but many consumers still will not let it touch the checkout button. (searchengineland.com) The report, published April 27, 2026, republished research from Exploding Topics, a Semrush-owned trends platform, based on a proprietary survey of 1,009 U.S. consumers. (searchengineland.com) It found 77.6% of consumers had used AI to help with shopping or purchase decisions in the previous six months, and 43.21% said they used it weekly or more. (searchengineland.com) People mostly use the tools for product research and price comparison: 68.5% said research, and 55.19% said finding the best price. Among AI shoppers, 77.56% used ChatGPT and 58.21% used Google Gemini. (searchengineland.com) The handoff from advice to payment is where confidence drops. The report said “skeptical” was the leading attitude toward AI tools that can place orders, at 41.08%, followed by “suspicious” at 33.10%. (searchengineland.com) The spending limits were tighter than the adoption figures. The mode, or most common answer, for how much people would trust AI to spend autonomously was $0, and the median cap was $50. (searchengineland.com) That caution extends to saved payment details. Search Engine Land said more than half of all consumers would be at least somewhat uncomfortable letting AI tools store their card information. (searchengineland.com) The same survey still showed commercial impact: 68.64% of AI shoppers said AI had influenced them to buy something they otherwise would not have purchased. (searchengineland.com) Other 2026 research points in the same direction. McKinsey said AI is moving from early-adopter behavior into the mainstream of U.S. shopping, while Semrush found 50% of surveyed AI users had made a purchase after using AI during research. (mckinsey.com) (semrush.com) For marketers and retailers, the pattern is straightforward: consumers are increasingly willing to ask AI what to buy, but they still want a human hand on the wallet. (searchengineland.com)
