According to the 2026 Commerce Relevance Report from Coveo, shoppers expect AI to explain and assist, but not decide what they should buy.
When asked how conversational AI tools such as ChatGPT could change online shopping, 32% of respondents said they expect help learning about product categories and features before selecting a specific item, while an equal percentage said they foresee AI-generated buying guides tailored to specific shopping situations. Meanwhile, 28% said they anticipate using AI shopping assistants to guide product selection, and 25% said they expect to use them to help with troubleshooting, Coveo noted.
About a third of respondents said they either do not expect conversational AI to change shopping or do not see value in it.
Although two-thirds of all shoppers expect online shopping experiences to evolve through conversational interaction, that is true of 81% of Millennials and 80% of Gen Zers.
Regarding purchasing, consumers expressed interest in AI-assisted shopping, but were more hesitant about handing over purchasing decisions entirely. Sixteen percent said they would be very comfortable and 33% somewhat comfortable. However, 18% said they would be somewhat uncomfortable, 27% said they would not be comfortable at all and 6% said they were not sure.
