Agentic AI Is Set to Reshape Retail Even Though Shoppers Are Split, Report

Consumers are already starting journeys with AI According to Bain’s Consumer Lab Generative AI survey, around 30% to 45% of U.S. consumers use Generative AI for product research and comparison.

Roughly 17% of unique online shoppers say they will begin their holiday shopping on an AI platform such as ChatGPT or Perplexity, while about 30% plan to start with Google search, which is now also AI‑enabled. Younger shoppers are leading this shift.

Among unique shoppers, about 52% of Millennials and 25% of Gen Z say they will use an AI assistant to start their holiday shopping, signalling how quickly AI is becoming the default entry point into the retail journey for key demographics.

Agentic AI emerges as a retail disruptor Bain defines agentic AI as systems that combine memory, reasoning, and tool use to act semi‑ or fully autonomously across the shopping journey, from product research to checkout…