Observed Signal · Nov 12, 2026 · Research Release · Source: https://martech.org/feed/ · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
AI Agents Reshape Shopper Relationships
New research from McKinsey and Optimove shows a significant shift toward AI-driven shopping and purchasing. According to McKinsey, 72% of U.S. shoppers use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for shopping ideas, and more than half of consumers worldwide now use AI to shop. The share of AI users who completed a purchase directly through an AI tool rose from 10% to 17% in a year. AI agents like Muse and Alexa for Shopping are expected to place orders for millions during the holiday season. Optimove data reveals a 593% jump in new customers on Black Friday 2025, highlighting the post-purchase experience as the new critical moment for building brand relationships. McKinsey advises brands to protect customer data and become the default choice for AI users. The article stresses that while agentic commerce is still early, marketers must adapt to a world where AI agents, not humans, are the buyers.
The article highlights a significant shift in consumer behavior towards AI-driven shopping and purchasing, which is highly relevant for the AdTech and MarTech industries. Marketers must adapt to a new reality where AI agents become the primary buyers, impacting how they build relationships and target audiences.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- 72% of U.S. shoppers use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for shopping ideas.
- More than half of consumers worldwide use AI to shop.
- The share of AI users completing purchases via AI tools rose from 10% to 17% in one year.
- Optimove data shows new customers jumped 593% on Black Friday 2025.
- McKinsey advises brands to protect customer data and become the default choice for AI users.
Connected Companies & Entities
“Optimove’s 2026 research found 72% of U.S. shoppers now use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for shopping ideas.”
“New research from McKinsey confirms the shift is global.”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
AI Agents Transform Shopping from Circulars to Automated Purchasing
This article explores how AI is reshaping the shopping journey, moving beyond traditional advertising to a future where AI agents act on behalf of consumers. It highlights that 73% of parents plan to use AI in back-to-school shopping, citing a PwC study. The evolution from static ads to predictive, adaptive creative is discussed, with comments from Priti Ohri of Advertible on dynamic creative. The piece also covers conversational AI, referencing Criteo's Prompt Smart Ads, and the transition from assistance to delegation, noting that only 11% of consumers are ready for AI to make purchase decisions. Becky Gundy of CHEQ predicts agents will soon handle purchases end-to-end, emphasizing that advertisers must appeal not only to consumers but also to their AI agents.
AI Agents Emerge as Key Holiday Shoppers
At The Advertising Club of New York's Commerce Media Exchange Conference, executives from Wevo, Dentsu, and Mastercard discussed the growing influence of AI agents on commerce and advertising. Nitzan Shaer, CEO of Wevo, cited Adobe data showing that 20% of holiday shopping experiences in 2025 were influenced by AI agents, with conversion rates 40% higher for agent-influenced purchases by March 2026. Jen Bryce of Dentsu highlighted the shift from search bars to agents pre-filtering options and the use of AI agents for continuous media planning and optimization. Nili Klenoff of Mastercard emphasized the importance of brand trust and product data legibility for agents. The panel also covered the use of synthetic audiences for campaign testing, balancing automation with human judgment, and the need for marketers to measure agent-driven traffic separately.
Consumers Warm to Agentic AI Purchases
A new RTB House survey of more than 1,800 consumers across the U.S., U.K., Japan and France finds growing consumer openness to agentic AI handling purchases, while many still want human oversight. In the U.S., respondents said AI tools broaden options and help discover brands; 42% said AI extends decision time and 59% credited AI with highlighting brands they didn’t know. Some consumers — especially older cohorts — prefer a human to review transactions before an AI agent completes purchases. The article also cites Amazon CEO Andy Jassy saying 350+ million customers used Alexa for Shopping in the past year and notes McKinsey & ICSC project U.S. agentic commerce could reach $1 trillion by 2030.
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