Generative artificial intelligence tools are reshaping how consumers discover products and shop online, according to new research from Euromonitor International.
The research, published through the company’s Passport platform, says AI-powered search and conversational assistants are increasingly influencing the digital shopping journey, altering how consumers find information, compare products and reach purchase decisions.
Data from Euromonitor’s Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey 2025 shows that more than half of global consumers now use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity for information and recommendations.
The report says this growing use of conversational AI platforms is changing the traditional online shopping process, which has typically involved multiple steps, including product searches, browsing results pages, reading reviews, and comparing alternatives before completing a purchase.
In AI-assisted environments, these steps can take place within a single interaction, where users ask questions in natural language and receive responses generated from multiple sources.
AI-powered search could influence $595bn in retail e-commerce
Euromonitor estimates that AI-powered search could influence more than $595 billion in retail e-commerce sales by 2028, reflecting the expanding role of generative AI in digital commerce.
Rabia Yasmeen, global insight manager for e-commerce at Euromonitor International, said the development represents a shift in how consumers navigate the online marketplace.
“Unlike earlier evolutions such as social commerce or livestreaming, AI-powered search is rewiring how consumers discover brands, evaluate choices and make purchasing decisions online,” Yasmeen said in a statement accompanying the research.
The study also points to rapid growth in traffic to retail websites originating from AI-driven platforms.
According to Euromonitor’s analysis, referrals from AI-powered sources to retail e-commerce sites increased 302 percent between January and December 2025, compared with 23 percent growth from other referral sources during the same period.
The findings indicate that conversational AI is becoming part of the digital discovery process used by consumers when searching for products and services online.
Visibility in online environments
Euromonitor said this shift could change how brands gain visibility in online environments.
In conventional search environments, brands typically rely on search engine optimisation, paid search advertising and retail media to appear prominently in search results. AI-generated responses, however, do not follow fixed ranking systems in the same way as traditional search listings.
To assess how this change could affect brand visibility, Euromonitor analysed more than 8,700 brands selling online in the United States skin care category.
Loss of relevance
The analysis found that up to half of existing brands could face a gradual loss of relevance as consumer discovery increasingly takes place through AI-mediated channels.
At the same time, the report says the shift may also create opportunities for brands that are able to appear in AI-generated responses and conversational recommendations.
The research describes the change in online discovery as a move from “share of views” to “share of conversations,” reflecting the role of conversational platforms in shaping product searches and brand exposure.
Euromonitor’s Passport platform compiles data and analysis on industries, economies and consumer behaviour across global markets and is used by businesses to track emerging trends in retail and commerce.
According to the company, generative AI tools are increasingly integrated into consumer interactions online, with shoppers using conversational platforms to obtain recommendations, research products and explore purchasing options.
The findings highlight the growing role of AI-powered platforms in influencing the online shopping journey and the way consumers discover products in digital retail environments.
