Will AI shopping change the value of retail media as we know it?
By Mike Black · September 29, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Will AI shopping change the value of retail media as we know it?
We know that the adoption of #AI to make purchase decisions is on the rise, especially among younger consumers
According to a May 2026 Collage Group survey, Gen Z (38%) and Millennials (36%) report current AI usage at rates more than triple those of Boomers (11%) and nearly double Gen X (18%), establishing AI as a primary research tool for the under 40
But I was curious to know what current shopping channels might lose as young consumers embrace AI as their primary research / shopping tools
What I learned was interesting
Among AI users, 58% of Gen Z respondents said they are visiting #Amazon less and 61% are visiting retailer websites less, because of AI
Among Millennial using AI to shop, 51% said they are visiting Amazon less and 58% said they are visiting retailer websites less, because of AI
As my friend Jason Goldberg would correctly call out, this data must be strongly caveated by the fact that it is self reported data, not actual behavior
But this got me thinking about the role of #retailmedia in the purchase funnel
If more young consumers are making the decision to buy earlier on #ChatGPT, #Gemini and other AI-shopping assistants, what is the value of sponsored ads?
Should brands be reallocating more of this spend to #productcontent optimization across their retailer and #DTC pages to improve AI search visibility?
I don't have the answers
But the survey #data suggests there's a healthy debate to be had within the walls of brands and #media agencies about the relevance of retail media in an AI shopping age
It it underscores the need for better, uniform data to establish traffic and conversion attribution via AI assistants vs retailer-owned channels
I've been out of the commerce game for a bit so curious what my eComm peeps think
#AEO #GEO #shopperinsight #consumerinsight