Product discovery used to be a two-horse race between search and the shelf. It isn’t anymore, and the newest entrant barely existed three years ago.
According to Alchemer’s 2026 Retail Report: Retail AI Adoption Outpaces Consumer Trust, 17.4% of shoppers discovered their most recent purchase through an AI tool or large language model, placing AI fourth among discovery channels and ahead of in-store browsing (14.4%) and recommendations from friends and family (10.6%).
TL;DR — key takeaways
- Discovery is now a near three-way split: search engines (33.7%), retailer sites and apps (32.0%) and marketplaces (30.2%), according to Alchemer’s 2026 Retail Report.
- AI tools sit fourth at 17.4%, ahead of in-store browsing (14.4%) and word of mouth (10.6%).
- Price still decides the purchase at 67.3%, followed by product quality (56.7%) and total cost including fees (35.2%).
- Only 0.3% of shoppers plan to do most of their holiday shopping through AI tools, so AI is a research surface, not a sales channel.
- Showing up accurately in AI-assisted research is now a discovery requirement, not an experiment.
How do shoppers discover products in 2026?
Across more channels than ever, with no single one dominating. Per Alchemer’s 2026 Retail Report, here’s where shoppers found their most recent purchase:
| Discovery channel | % of shoppers |
|---|---|
| Search engines | 33.7% |
| Retailer’s own site or app | 32.0% |
| Marketplaces | 30.2% |
| AI tool or LLM | 17.4% |
| In-store browsing | 14.4% |
| Friend or family recommendation | 10.6% |
The top three are effectively tied, which means discovery strategy can’t be a single-channel bet. The interesting line is the fourth. A channel that didn’t register in retail data a few years ago now influences product discovery more than the store aisle does.
What decides the purchase once shoppers have found you?
The same things as always. AI changed the research process, not the buying criteria:
| Key buying factor | % of shoppers |
|---|---|
| Price or affordability | 67.3% |
| Product quality | 56.7% |
| Total cost including shipping, taxes and fees | 35.2% |
| Convenience or speed | 23.2% |
| Brand reputation or star ratings | 20.6% |
| Past experience with the retailer | 13.9% |
| Return or refund policy | 12.8% |
Read the two tables together and the strategy writes itself. AI gets shoppers to your shelf. Value gets them to checkout. A brilliant AI presence attached to an uncompetitive price and a surprise fee at the end still loses the sale.
Know what shoppers say when they don’t buy. Alchemer collects feedback across web, app, email, SMS and in-location QR codes, so you can see where discovery turns into a purchase and where it stalls. Explore Alchemer for Retail →
Should retailers sell through AI tools?
Not yet. Treat AI as a research surface to win rather than a sales channel to build. Only 0.3% of shoppers plan to do most of their holiday shopping through AI tools, while nearly a quarter already use LLMs to decide what to buy. The behavior is concentrated entirely in the research phase, and that’s where the budget belongs.
Practically, that means structuring your product data so AI tools describe you accurately: clear specifications, honest pricing including fees, current availability and a review presence that holds up when an AI summarizes it. If an assistant gets your return policy wrong, the shopper never learns it was the assistant’s mistake.
What does this mean for retail discovery strategy?
Cover the split instead of picking a winner. Search, your own site and marketplaces each reach roughly a third of shoppers, so all three need investment. AI-assisted research needs accurate product data more than it needs ad spend. And in-store browsing at 14.4% is a reminder that the aisle has become a place shoppers confirm a decision rather than make one.
The retailers who win discovery in 2026 are the ones who are findable and described correctly everywhere shoppers look, including the places they can’t buy media.
Want the full report? Read the complete 2026 Retail Report: Retail AI Adoption Outpaces Consumer Trust for the full discovery and buying-factor data, plus how AI adoption splits by age.
Methodology: Alchemer’s Research Solutions team surveyed 1,002 U.S. shoppers across age groups, genders and shopping channels about their retail experiences and research habits in 2026.
FAQ
Q: How do shoppers find products in 2026?
A: Search engines (33.7%), retailer sites and apps (32.0%) and marketplaces (30.2%) lead, followed by AI tools at 17.4%, according to Alchemer’s 2026 Retail Report.
Q: How many shoppers discover products through AI?
A: 17.4% of shoppers discovered their most recent purchase through an AI tool or LLM, ahead of in-store browsing (14.4%) and friend-and-family recommendations (10.6%).
Q: Do shoppers buy through AI tools?
A: Almost never so far. Only 0.3% plan to do most of their holiday shopping through AI tools, even though nearly a quarter use LLMs to research purchases.
Q: What factors decide a retail purchase?
A: Price or affordability (67.3%), product quality (56.7%) and total cost including shipping, taxes and fees (35.2%), per Alchemer’s 2026 data.