Retail / news
AI narrows the gift hunt, but shoppers still lean on reviews to close the sale
New survey data shows AI assistants are increasingly where holiday shoppers begin product searches, yet only a small fraction complete a purchase on the spot. Most still cross-check reviews, prices and retailer policies before committing.
Roughly 16% of shoppers now begin looking for products inside ChatGPT, according to a Feedvisor survey, but just 9% head there with the intention of actually buying. When an AI assistant puts a product in front of them, only 5% say they purchase immediately, with the remainder turning to platforms such as Google and Amazon to check whether a better price exists elsewhere.
Research firm PartnerCentric traced where shoppers go after receiving an AI recommendation. Reviews are the most common next stop at 33%, followed by price comparisons at 22.3%, while 18.8% search Amazon or another retailer. Just 14.8% go directly to a brand's own website, and 7.6% seek out creator content about the product.
"AI is a starting point, not a final verdict," said Stephanie Harris, founder and CEO of PartnerCentric. "The shoppers who trust it most are still checking the work."
Logistics carry real weight in the final decision. About 33% of shoppers say shipping and return policies often or always change what they buy, making those details a meaningful lever during the holiday marketing push.
For brands, the findings point to a set of touchpoints that need to stay consistent, from review pages and pricing to retailer and brand sites, so that the picture an AI assistant surfaces holds up when shoppers verify it themselves.