Inflation has changed the consumer mindset, and commerce leaders are taking notice.

New research from Minty and Northwestern University's Retail Analytics Council surveyed 150 marketing leaders, 98% from enterprise companies ($100M+ sales), revealing a shift in how consumers shop.

Consumers are no longer simply asking, “What do I want to buy?” They are asking, “How do I get the most value from every dollar?” AI and cashback and savings apps are becoming the tools that help them answer that question. Eighty one percent of ecommerce marketing leaders agree savings apps are more helpful for shoppers than advertising.

Economic pressure is the dominant force reshaping commerce, cited by 72% of leaders. Meanwhile, the fastest-growing AI shopping behaviors are value behaviors; finding lower prices (49%), discovering promotions and deals (46%), and comparing alternatives (41%).

Minty’s National Smart Shopper Holiday Study reinforces the consumer side. When asked which tools are most helpful for shopping smarter, consumers ranked cashback and savings apps first at 70%, followed by retailer advertising at 61%, AI tools at 60%, and creators at 40%.

Notably, cashback and savings users intend to spend 30% more this holiday season and are more likely to use AI for shopping. Rather than spending less, value-focused consumers use more tools to maximize their dollars.

This isn’t simply a race to the lowest price. Shoppers are optimizing for total value based on product quality, price, cashback, rewards, and convenience. AI is increasingly automating the equation.

Eighty-one percent of commerce leaders agree that cashback and savings apps now help consumers more than advertising. These savings ecosystems lead acquisition channels in perceived consumer value at 35%, ahead of loyalty programs (22%) and retail media and creator marketing at (12% each).

The message is clear: helpfulness is becoming more valuable than persuasion.

This is fueling the next evolution of commerce: proactive commerce.

Traditional digital marketing waits for a signal, be it search, click, site visit or abandoned cart. Proactive commerce moves upstream, delivering relevant value before the traditional trigger by surfacing product feature value differentiators, prices, deals, rewards, cashback, and alternatives.

The market is already moving. Thirty-eight percent of companies qualify as proactive commerce adopters or leaders. They are clustered in the largest companies with the next growth coming from the mid-tiers.

Leaders see the future faster than their organizations are acting on it.

By the end of 2027, 79% expect their primary customer to involve AI in the purchase journey, while 66% expect AI to become the primary shopping gateway. When AI optimizes for consumers, total value, including cashback and rewards, win over price alone.

The future of commerce won’t belong to brands that wait for consumers to raise their hands. It will belong to brands that proactively give consumers a reason to choose them.

Inflation created the urgency. AI created the capability to quickly identify total value. Cashback and savings ecosystems are delivering the most value. Proactive commerce is where they converge.

Learn how to build a proactive commerce strategy.