Up until a few years ago, a friend or relative would be consulted when it came to shopping. The friend was then replaced by search engines and price comparison platforms. Now the new shopping mate is called Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, all of them artificial intelligence applications that are increasingly being used by consumers even to make lists of essentials for the home or a party.
According to a survey conducted by the Research Institute for Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA) recently presented at the 16th Food Retail Conference, two out of three respondents have used AI applications, such as chatbots, digital assistants, etc., with 15% using AI applications on a daily basis and a 42% occasionally during the week. The most popular application among consumers is ChatGPT, with 79% of users AI choosing it, followed by Gemini, which is used by 35% of users, while the third place in popularity is held by Microsoft Copilot with 19%.
Of particular interest is the fact that three out of every seven AI users have received product information using AI. Specifically, 43% have requested information about products or services, 34% have requested information about a product before visiting the store, 27% have made product comparisons through AI, 11% have compared different supermarket chains, while there is also a 6% of consumers who have turned to AI in order to make their list for the supermarket.
These percentages do shift, especially since a large percentage of respondents, over 40%, who have not taken any of the aforementioned actions, intend to do so in the future.
Although still contacting store staff regarding information about a product seems like the best option, AI’s acceptance rates are significant as a possible solution. For example, 12% of consumers say that they would seek the help of AI in order to be informed about whether or not the food they see while shopping at the supermarket contains allergenic substances. Although the majority agrees that the nutritionist is the one who should be trusted for the food choices they will make in the supermarket, the second place in the overall evaluation is occupied by AI, while based on specific criteria, it comes first, as it is faster, easily accessible and more affordable.