Australians Are Using AI to Shop — But Only 3% Trust It Enough to Buy
Australians are increasingly asking AI what to buy — but they are not ready to hand over the final decision.
New Australian research suggests that artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of the shopping journey. Half of surveyed Australians have already used tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Google AI to research a brand, product or service before making a purchase.
But there is a striking gap between using AI for discovery and actually trusting it enough to buy.
Only 3% of respondents said they would purchase from an unfamiliar brand based solely on an AI recommendation. Most still want another layer of proof — often from Google, reviews or people they trust.
That may tell us more about the future of online shopping than AI adoption numbers alone.
Are Australians Really Using AI for Shopping?
Yes — AI is already becoming a product research tool for Australian consumers.
A survey of 809 Australians by consumer insights platform Ideally found that 50% had used an AI platform to research a brand, product or service before buying.
That does not necessarily mean shoppers are asking AI to complete a purchase. Instead, AI appears to be entering much earlier in the journey: finding products, comparing options, explaining differences and helping shoppers build a shortlist.
Separate research from IAB Australia and Pureprofile supports the broader trend. Their 2026 Commerce and Discovery Report describes Australian shoppers as increasingly moving between search, retailer websites, reviews, social platforms and AI tools before making a decision.
Shopping is becoming more AI-assisted — but also more fragmented.
Why Do Only 3% Trust an AI Recommendation Alone?
The most revealing number may not be the 50% using AI. It may be the 3% willing to buy from an unfamiliar brand based only on an AI recommendation.
AI can make discovery easier, but a recommendation does not automatically create trust.
Consumers may still want to know whether a retailer is legitimate, whether real customers liked the product, whether the price is competitive and whether the product actually matches the description.
The gap becomes even clearer for major purchases. In the Ideally survey, 6% selected an AI assistant as the source they would trust most for a major purchase recommendation. Google search results were selected by 26%, friends and family by 25%, and online reviews by 20%.
AI may be gaining influence before the purchase without yet owning the final decision.
Why Do Shoppers Go Back to Google and Reviews?
When AI recommends a brand they have never heard of, Australians appear to verify it elsewhere.
According to the survey, 52% would search for the unfamiliar brand on Google, while another 21% would check review sites before deciding.
This creates an interesting new shopping journey:
Ask AI → discover a product → verify the brand → compare evidence → decide whether to buy.
For shoppers, AI can reduce the time needed to find possible choices. But search engines, independent reviews, retailer information and brand websites can still provide the evidence that helps turn discovery into confidence.
IAB Australia's 2026 research reaches a similar conclusion: AI is complementing existing research behaviour rather than simply replacing search.
What Are Australians Willing to Delegate to AI?
Australians appear much more comfortable letting AI do the research than giving it complete purchasing control.
EY Australia surveyed 1,000 adults in June 2026 about AI-assisted grocery shopping. It found that 72% were comfortable with AI gathering grocery prices, deals and product options.
However, only 2% said they would prefer an AI agent to complete the entire grocery shop on its own.
Consumers were more willing to delegate routine categories. EY found greater willingness to let AI choose pantry items, beverages and snacks than health and wellness or baby and family-care products.
That suggests trust may depend partly on the consequences of getting a recommendation wrong.
Finding the cheapest pasta is one thing. Choosing a product involving health, personal preferences or family needs can feel very different.
What Does This Mean for Australian Brands and Retailers?
For businesses, being visible on Google may no longer be enough.
A product may now be discovered first through an AI answer rather than a traditional search result. But if consumers then search Google, read reviews and visit retailer or brand pages, businesses need consistent and trustworthy information across all of those places.
Clear product names, accurate descriptions, pricing, specifications, availability, FAQs and credible customer information become more important when both humans and AI systems are trying to understand a product.
EY argues that this shift could make Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) an increasingly important complement to traditional Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
In simple terms, brands may increasingly need to be understandable not only to Google — but also to the AI tools helping consumers decide what belongs on their shortlist.
Is AI Replacing Google for Shopping?
Current Australian research suggests not yet.
Instead, AI appears to be adding another layer to the shopping journey.
A consumer might ask an AI assistant for the best options, search Google to investigate an unfamiliar recommendation, read independent reviews, compare prices across retailers and only then make a purchase.
That is important because the competition for a shopper's attention may increasingly begin before they ever visit an online store.
AI can influence which brands make the shortlist. Search, reviews and other trusted sources can then influence which brand actually gets the sale.
The interesting shift is not that Australians suddenly trust AI to shop for them. They don't. It is that AI is beginning to influence which products people investigate in the first place. For consumers, that means AI may become a useful starting point rather than the final authority. For brands, being recommended by AI could open the door — but trust still has to be earned after that.
Glossary
AI Shopping Assistant: An AI tool that helps consumers search for, compare or choose products.
AI Shopping Agent: A more autonomous AI system that may perform shopping tasks or, with permission, make purchases for a user.
SEO: Search Engine Optimisation — improving content so it can be found and understood through traditional search engines.
AEO: Answer Engine Optimisation — structuring useful, reliable information so AI-powered search and answer systems can understand and surface it accurately.
