Observed Signal · Sep 18, 2026 · Research Release · Source: Adzine · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Attribution Remains Difficult: First Visit Rarely Leads to Purchase
A new European Shopping Trends Report by RTB House reveals that only 27% of European consumers make a purchase on their first website visit. Half require two to three visits, and 19% need four to five visits. The study, conducted by Censuswide with 4,500 respondents across nine countries, shows that 81% compare multiple brands before buying and 75% visit more than one retailer website. Reasons for abandoning initial visits include price comparison (28%), reading reviews (20%), and seeking promotions (17%). Additionally, 22% of shoppers research online but purchase in physical stores, complicating attribution. AI-based product discovery is emerging, with 21% using services like ChatGPT or Gemini. RTB House argues for longer-term retargeting, while acknowledging that the study measures behavior, not causal effects of retargeting.
Provides consumer behavior insights relevant to attribution and retargeting strategies, but is a standard research report.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Only 27% of European consumers purchase on their first website visit.
- 81% of respondents consider more than one brand before making a purchase.
- 22% of shoppers research online but complete purchases in physical stores.
- 21% discover new brands or products via AI services such as ChatGPT or Gemini.
- RTB House's European Shopping Trends Report surveyed 4,500 consumers across nine countries.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mapped“The European Shopping Trends Report by RTB House is analyzed, with Daniel Volož, Managing Director DACH, commenting on the findings.”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Criteo Report: AI Aids Shopping but Stops Before Checkout
Criteo's "2026 Commerce & AI Trend Report," based on a January–February 2026 consumer survey of 6,379 people across the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan and South Korea, finds AI increasingly central to product discovery but rarely completing purchases. Marketplaces (36%) and search engines (28%) remain the dominant search entry points; AI assistants account for 14% as a complementary channel. Consumers use AI mainly for research and comparison—nearly half use AI tools for product comparisons while only 8% report buying through those tools. Visual (44%) and voice (26%) search are rising, and respondents prioritize a mix of personalization and unexpected discovery. Trust factors—privacy (46%) and protection against manipulated content (52%)—and strong brand recognition (75%) remain decisive for completing purchases.
Shoppers Decide Before Visiting Brand Websites
Minty survey data and analysis argue that most purchase decision-making now happens before consumers reach brand websites — inside savings apps, deal aggregators and AI tools. The research (nationally representative of U.S. adults, 97% confidence) shows high rates of advance planning and use of digital savings tools: 65% say planning is instrumental to saving, nine-in-ten use savings tools, 60% prioritize value over brand loyalty, and 82% would engage with a browser-extension pop-up offer. The article recommends brands pursue visibility earlier in the journey via cashback/rewards integrations, structured content for AI discoverability, third-party editorial presence, and new metrics like “Share of Model” to measure presence in AI-generated answers.
Shoppers Plan Purchases — Discounts Alone Aren't Enough
A representative IFH Media Analytics and Media Central study of 1,000 German consumers finds only 12% of purchases are spontaneous while 59% of shoppers plan purchases and compare offers before deciding. The research maps digital channels across the customer journey and shows retailer apps (58%) and prospekt/flyer apps (61%) are key channels for price and offer research; retailer apps are important for planning for 49% of respondents. Video ads (53%), influencers (52%) and social ads (50%) are major discovery drivers. Experts (Jan Michael Rasimus, DHBW Karlsruhe) note that major sales events like Prime Day start psychologically with deal expectations and that consumers increasingly use price-tracking tools (Idealo, Keepa) and AI tools, making shopping and platform-side targeting more data-driven.
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