The use of AI to improve online shopping experiences is receiving a positive reaction from customers, according to results from a survey by SaaS firm Algolia.
Over half of the respondents (63%) stated they believed AI will enhance e-commerce operations, and 45% said AI would be best used as an online personal shopping assistant.
Other uses of AI recommended by shoppers were online customer service chatbots (42%), personalized promotions (42%), and discovering new products (41%).
Additionally, shoppers are also interested in AI as a price comparison tool to assist in finding the best-value deal. Over seven in ten (71%) of shoppers expressed interest in using a tool that can assist in price comparisons across different retailers.
Consumers are also interested in leaning on AI for inventory control, with 53% of respondents saying they would be open to AI reordering household staple products and 65% expressing interest in being alerted when products need to be restocked.
However, over half of shoppers (52%) stated they would not use an AI agent to recommend and choose gifts for friends and family.
Recently, businesses have been investing in AI, with another survey revealing that US retailers spent an average of $400k on AI in 2024.
The use of AI has gained momentum among major American retailers, with Walmart rolling out a new AI-powered assistant to enhance customer experience.
Amazon also recently launched an AI-powered tool for audio product descriptions.
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