How shopping behaviour is changing in New Zealand

AI is rapidly becoming part of the modern shopping journey.

What began as experimentation with tools like ChatGPT has evolved into a meaningful shift in how consumers discover products, compare options and make purchasing decisions. For retail and consumer businesses, the implications extend well beyond technology adoption. Consumer expectations, digital behaviours and paths to purchase are already changing.

We surveyed 1,000 New Zealand consumers who have used AI as part of their shopping journey to understand how AI is influencing behaviours.

Our findings suggests consumers are not simply using AI out of curiosity. They're using it to make shopping easier, faster and more efficient. That signals a broader shift underway: AI is becoming a new layer within the customer decision-making process. 

Traditionally, product discovery and purchase decisions have been shaped by search engines, retailer websites, recommendations from family and friends, review websites, social media, and in-store interactions. AI is now becoming an increasingly important part of that mix.

Our research found AI tools are already the third most-used channel for product research among consumers using AI to shop, behind only search engines and retailer websites or apps. 44% of respondents said AI had reduced their use of search engines when researching purchases.

This may prove to be one of the most strategically important findings for retailers and consumer businesses. In effect, AI is beginning to compress and simplify parts of the traditional consideration journey.

For businesses, this raises important questions:

• How discoverable are your products and services within AI-driven experiences?
• Is your product information structured, accurate, and trusted?
• How should marketing and digital strategies evolve if consumers increasingly bypass traditional search pathways?

Retailers have spent years optimising for search engines and digital conversion. Increasingly, they will also need to consider optimisation for AI-mediated discovery and recommendation environments.

The research indicates that AI is beginning to influence not only how consumers shop, but also where they choose to make purchases.

 A further 20% reported increased online and in-store shopping activity overall.

The impact varies significantly by category.

AI-assisted online conversion was strongest in travel, electronics, gifts, and fashion - while categories such as grocery and homeware, despite growing AI influence, remain more store-led and tactile in nature.

This highlights an important point for business leaders: AI adoption is unlikely to affect all categories equally.

For retailers, this creates both opportunity and competitive pressure. As AI increasingly influences where consumers choose to shop, businesses that strengthen digital experiences and support AI-assisted shopping journeys will be better positioned to attract and convert customers. Those that fail to adapt risk becoming less visible during AI-mediated purchase journeys.

While AI is already influencing how consumers research and purchase products today, the next phase is beginning to emerge: AI agents that can act on a consumer's behalf, from comparing products to completing purchases.

Today, consumers primarily use AI to compare products and prices (64%), research planned purchases (62%) and find inspiration for purchases (52%).

Trust in AI-generated recommendations is already well established, with 97% of respondents reporting at least some level of trust. More notably, 31% of consumers are already comfortable allowing an AI agent to complete purchases on their behalf.

While agentic commerce is still in its early stages, these findings suggest adoption is already underway. As familiarity, trust and practical use cases continue to grow, AI agents are likely to play an increasingly active role in the shopping journey. The pace of adoption is unlikely to be uniform across all product categories, but the direction of travel is becoming clearer.

For retailers, the opportunity is to build trusted AI-assisted shopping experiences today while preparing for a future where AI agents play a more active role in customer interactions and purchase decisions.

AI is no longer a future retail trend. It's already influencing how consumers search, evaluate and purchase products.

While the pace and scale of adoption will continue to evolve, the direction of travel is becoming clearer: consumers increasingly expect faster, more personalised and lower-friction shopping experiences.

For retail and consumer businesses, the challenge is not simply whether to adopt AI. It is how to respond strategically to a customer journey that is already beginning to change.

The organisations that succeed are likely to be those that combine customer understanding, trusted experiences and practical AI-enabled transformation, while remaining focused on the outcomes consumers value most.

How we can help

As AI continues to reshape the shopping journey, retail and consumer businesses need to adapt to changing consumer expectations. We help organisations understand emerging consumer behaviours, strengthen customer experiences and digital capabilities, improve visibility in AI-driven environments, and prepare for the future of AI-enabled commerce.