Here’s a question for you:
Have you ever asked an AI chatbot such as ChatGPT a question before you’ve googled it?
If the answer is yes, you’re definitely not alone.
And with online users worldwide gaining access to ever-improving generative AI tools, it’s natural for the murmurs about AI “taking over traditional search engines” to surface.
Is it something to be wary about? Or just another passing fad?
Let’s take a look at some numbers.
🖱️📈 Clicking on each individual chart will take you to its interactive board.
Fetch the AI binoculars: How many US adults use AI first for online search?
Up until now online search behavior was predictable—more or less. You have a question, you ask a search engine.
But since the wide adoption of generative AI, the tides are starting to shift.
Now, users seem to be flocking to Geminis, Copilots, ChatGPTs, to find thorough answers to specific questions, sourced from all around the web.
And the numbers just keep rising:
Reports say that approximately 13 million US adults turn to AI before traditional—or any other—online search. That’s not a lot. But the entire “AI thing” is at its birth stage.
In just four years, this number is expected to rise sevenfold.
This would mean that almost a third of all US adults may use generative AI first for online search in 2027. That’s not impossible to imagine, right?
And it makes sense, as search engines integrate AI, users might not even be able to choose between generative AI and traditional search experience.
🤖 Adobe also just released a thorough report on generative AI and found that:
- Half of all responders used generative AI
- They are excited to see how AI will make price comparison and shopping easier (36%) and get better support from companies (33%)
- 58% said AI has already improved their shopping experience
Which generation is using AI the most?
Let’s just say you won’t gasp in surprise.
According to this, almost a fifth of millennials use Gen AI at least once a day, with in total more than half using it at least once a week.
On the other hand, Zoomers aren’t as frequent, but seem to have adopted AI on a wider scale, with 58% using AI weekly.
And speaking of Gen Z:
It appears that Zoomers use traditional online search less than other generations. On the other hand, they leverage AI platforms for search more than others as well.
In that sense, it’s safe to assume that both Zers and millennials are demographics that are leading the AI-search movement.
Which is—in a way—expected.
📰 Further reading: Want to learn more about Zoomers’ shopping behavior? Check out our Gen Z Data Story.
How do millennials and Zoomers think AI can improve the shopping experience?
As you know, the online shopping experience consists of multiple phases.
And according to reports, both Zoomers and millennials think AI can improve shopping.
How? Here’s a look:
Half think AI will help with comparing prices, and a little less think it will help with finding deals or relevant offers and products.
The key term here is “find.”
Both Zoomers and millennials are banking on AI to improve search experience in the discovery phase of shopping. First and foremost—and then everything else.
💡Tip: The language of Search Generative Experience will be the language of data and AI. So implementing it might help you pop up during shopping journeys that start with AI search.
You may want to invest in data sourcing and AI apps as that will help you automate and optimize prices, supply chains, etc, and pass on that data to search engines.
The role of AI chatbots in product search
Chatbots—either integrated into search engines or a part of your website—may soon play a crucial role when it comes to search and shopping.
Why do we say this? Here’s how millennials researched products in 2023:
You can see how chatbots sneaked into this chart?
It’s not a big percentage yet. But if you consider that getting answers about a product from a Gen AI chatbot wasn’t quite possible until recently, it is something to consider.
And how do these chatbots help with shopping? Here are some answers:
As you see, searching for product information is once again the highest.
This further solidifies the prediction that pretty soon we’ll see a wider adoption of AI usage in day-to-day product search experience.
Time will tell.
🚀 Don’t be afraid to integrate and learn when it comes generative AI. You can start using chatbots, virtual assistants, AI pricing optimization tools, and various other perks that might help your customers find and communicate with your brand easier, while also using AI.
AI needs to earn consumers’ trust first
There’s one caveat that remains.
Humans don’t trust robots. Not yet at least:
So while AI in product search and shopping will certainly rise, it still won’t hold as much trust as if the same product was recommended by your friend, family member, or an expert.
However, half of users would trust AI tools based on previous purchase history.
In other words, if AI has a previous, customizable reference point on which it can provide suggestions, shoppers will trust it more.
And still, 38% trust in general AI, in the form that is now is nothing to be scuffed at.
Looking for the prize using robot eyes
As AI-powered search and shopping gain momentum, traditional methods face a challenge.
With millennials and Zoomers leading the charge, there’s a big possibility that we may see a larger, widespread adoption of Gen AI when it comes to shopping and search.
Yet, it seems that trust remains the final nail for widespread adoption.
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