A PYMNTS Intelligence study published in October 2026, based on 2,191 US consumers, shows that AI is now the starting point for retail research for 23.2% of consumers, yet 59.7% of AI-assisted purchases were completed on Amazon and only 6.3% on brands’ own websites or apps.
What happened
PYMNTS Intelligence published «From Prompt to Purchase: Who Wins the AI Shopper?», the 12th installment of its Consumer AI Benchmark Series. The survey was fielded August 10–13, 2026, among 2,191 US consumers, with results weighted to represent 262.3 million consumers.
Key data
- About 60.9 million consumers (23.2%) name AI as their main starting point for researching retail purchases online, up from 21.4% in June.
- Use of AI for product discovery over the past year rose from 22.9% to 25.8% (67.8 million consumers).
- Estimated three-month spending on AI-assisted purchases rose from $889 in June to $1,039 in August (a 17% relative increase).
- Of the most recent AI-assisted purchases, 59.7% were completed on Amazon, 19.5% at big-box and department stores, and 6.3% on brands’ own websites or apps.
- The top reason for choosing a destination was the best price or a discount (27.5%), followed by free or fast shipping (17.3%). Only 2.5% cited a direct link from the AI tool.
- In an agentic checkout scenario, 40.2% would direct an autonomous assistant to a large marketplace and 16.1% to a brand’s website.
Context and limits of the study
The report’s core finding is that «AI is displacing established research habits faster than it is displacing established buying relationships»: it changes how people research more than where they buy.
The report itself flags limitations. Pre-AI comparisons rely on recalled, self-reported behavior; the data does not establish that AI caused Amazon’s gains or measure changes in total sales; and the June and July surveys covered all retail purchases while August covered only online ones, so the figures are not fully comparable.
Strategic takeaway — Studio 24-7
For a brand, appearing in an AI answer is not the same as selling. The most actionable data point is that almost nobody buys through the AI’s link: price, shipping and prior trust decide the destination. If a brand only works on AI visibility and not on its offer, purchase friction and reputation, it hands the conversion to the marketplace.
A solid growth system connects three layers: being citable and recommendable at discovery, a competitive offer on price and delivery, and an owned conversion path (web, WhatsApp, remarketing) that captures demand instead of letting it leave. Results before appearances: measure how many sales close in your channel, not how many times you are mentioned.
Sources
- PYMNTS Intelligence — From Prompt to Purchase: Who Wins the AI Shopper? (October 2026; survey fielded August 10–13, 2026)
- MarketingProfs — AI Update, October 16, 2026 (October 16, 2026)