The news: AI is expanding the competitive set of options available to consumers during their path to purchase, which often leads to a longer research and decision process.

• Half (50.1%) of US consumers have switched from a brand they normally buy because of an AI recommendation at least sometimes, per Envision Horizons’ “2026 AI Shopping Report.”
• 63% have used AI to “turn a shopping need into a purchase list,” per RTB House's “Who’s Buying?” report.
• 42% say that, as a result of having more choices, AI makes purchase decisions take more time.

Zooming in: AI’s growing influence over the shopping journey has direct implications for brands, search strategy, and customer acquisition.

• AI can accelerate the path from intent to consideration by quickly turning a commercial desire into a selection of relevant items, including options shoppers may not have encountered otherwise.
• However, a broader consideration set can complicate final choices and extend the checkout phase even as it eliminates some of the work involved in getting there.

Why it matters: Visibility will depend on which brands AI systems choose to surface as consumers rely on AI to narrow a universe of products into a manageable selection of options.

That takes influence away from traditional search-and-browse journeys and toward whichever brand that genAI systems choose to surface. Businesses could lose some control over discovery if consumers start consulting AI assistants before ever visiting their sites or conducting traditional searches.

However, this discovery process also gives lesser-known brands the chance to compete with incumbents and succeed even if they don’t have a well-established name in their category yet.

Recommendations for brands: Develop dual SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO) strategies to surface in both traditional search and chatbot shopping journeys.

• Offer clear use cases, pricing, reviews, and product specs so AI systems have context on when and where to recommend an item.
• Audit how your brands—and competitors—appear across AI assistants to evaluate what attributes are influencing AI answers.
• Provide frictionless checkout options to ensure that consumers can easily buy items once they finish a lengthy research process, as any roadblocks could push them to the next alternative.

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