Two otherwise unrelated phenomena are changing the way we shop – the economic uncertainty caused by inflation and tariffs, and the rise of artificial intelligence. And a growing number of enterprising shoppers are using one to help with the other.
That’s what the rewards and cash-back service provider Wildfire Systems has found in its latest consumer shopping trends report, “The AI Shopping Shift.” It found that shoppers are searching for value more than ever before – and increasingly turning to AI to help them shop, and save.
61% of the shoppers surveyed for the report said they have used AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, nearly triple the amount who said so just last year. More than a third of AI users said they use it for online shopping. And one in five said they are “very comfortable letting AI shop for them.”
“The AI commerce era is here,” Wildfire declared. “No longer just hype… generative AI has gone mainstream.”
Online shoppers who use AI said they mainly use it to find coupons and deals or compare prices. 75% said they would trust AI recommendations even more, if they got cash back or some other reward for making purchases suggested by an AI shopping assistant.
But some already trust AI so much, they’re willing to delegate their shopping decisions to it. 20% of respondents said they would be “very comfortable with allowing an AI agent to find an item according to their input, confirm its price, and then place the order for them – with grocery and household basics ranking highest.”
Most AI-using shoppers aren’t ready to go quite that far yet. But Wildfire expects their numbers to grow. “A large portion of AI users who never use AI for shopping admit they’ve simply ‘never thought to,'” the report notes, “revealing an enormous untapped opportunity for education and integration.”
And with shoppers increasingly looking for savings, most might be willing to accept help any way they can get it.
More than three-quarters told Wildfire they are interested in digital coupons and cash back rewards – “the highest we’ve ever seen,” the report pointed out. 81% said they typically wait for sales or promotions before making a purchase, and more than half “always or often” use digital coupons, promo codes or cash-back offers.
That increasing desire for deals comes as the majority of shoppers are worried about high prices and diminished purchasing power. More than half are concerned about the impact of tariffs, while two-thirds are worried about inflation. And most of that worry is expressed in the grocery store, where more than three-quarters are “very” or “extremely” concerned about high grocery prices.
“Ongoing economic pressure,” Wildfire observed, “makes savings tools like digital coupons and cashback rewards more relevant than ever.”
And if AI can help, even better. The report comes as AI-assisted shopping becomes even more mainstream, as OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT users will be able to make purchases directly within the chat, without having to click through to a retailer’s site. That ability is now available for Etsy shoppers, and will be expanding to Shopify merchants soon.
The Wildfire report concludes by urging AI platforms and brands to build trust with shoppers, improve product recommendations, and “demonstrate real savings and efficiency by delivering better deals, cashback, and time back to consumers.” Only then, it says, will AI shopping gain mass adoption.
So the fact that more people aren’t currently using AI to shop is not because they’re dissatisfied by the experience, but because many are still unsure of the benefits. “Consumers aren’t opposed to AI shopping – they’re pragmatic,” Wildfire found. “They’ll embrace agents and tools when the payoff is obvious: more savings, less hassle, and greater confidence in the outcome.”
Part of the fun of deal-seeking is the thrill of the hunt – you feel good about yourself when you’re able to find a coupon or promotion that has you paying a lower price than most others. But these days, saving money is more of a necessity than an entertaining pastime. So if a computer can do the work to help you save, that’s a development that even deal-seeking AI skeptics may be willing to embrace.
Image source: Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
