The news: Although 43% of US online shoppers have used an AI assistant to research a product in the past 90 days, shoppers still double-check its answers before buying—including by looking the product up on the brand’s site, reading reviews, or running a search, per Product.ai’s Trust in AI Commerce Report.

• 86% of shoppers who use AI for product research verify or vet recommendations before buying. That’s on par with data from the IAB, which found that 89% of US consumers check the information before buying.
• 42% wouldn’t trust an AI recommendation for any purchase over $25 without vetting or verifying the information, per Product.ai.
• Only 14% of AI users trust its recommendations enough to make a purchase without verification.

One in 5 shoppers who recently made a purchase over $50 used an AI assistant for research, below online marketplaces like Amazon (50%), a brand or retailer site (31%), friends and family (26%), and YouTube (24%).

Zooming in: The data challenges opportunities in AI commerce for conversational AI to lead to shorter purchase funnels when it’s used like a personalized search engine. Instead, shoppers are adding AI to their research process while keeping up use of existing trust signals.

That’s important because AI recommendations may be seen by consumers as especially helpful if they can lead users to trusted destinations or introduce them to new content. Brand sites, Amazon listings, reviews, and YouTube content remain critical because consumers are actively using content from those sources to validate what AI tells them.

Implications for brands: Maintaining strong trust signals and offering clear product and company information across channels offers dual benefits.

• A strong presence on social sites like YouTube, clear company FAQ pages, and active review sections on marketplace sites like Amazon will help brand content surface in AI answers.
• Offering opportunities for consumers to ask product questions and engage with company representatives on social and owned channels can help shoppers that are in the process of vetting AI recommendations.

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