Online shopping has transformed with the rise of conversational assistants, allowing users to ask for specific products, compare options, and even track prices. For instance, a shopper can ask for running shoes under a certain budget or compare options based on size, ratings, shipping, or price.
According to Adobe, generative AI traffic to United States retail sites increased by 693.4 percent during the 2025 holiday season, with the analysis covering over one trillion retail visits and 100 million products. Google also reported that its Shopping Graph included over 60 billion product listings in May 2026.
Salesforce found that 39 percent of consumers used AI for product discovery in 2025. These numbers highlight the growing importance of shopping assistants in the online shopping experience.
How AI Shopping Assistants Work
Reliable shopping assistants can simplify the research process by comparing products, prices, and sellers. Shoppers can ask detailed questions, and the assistant can provide summaries of review themes, track target prices, and suggest alternatives when the first choice is unavailable.
Some tasks that shopping assistants can help with include comparing prices across several stores, finding products that match a specific budget or size, and summarizing review themes before reading individual customer reviews.
Limitations of AI Shopping Assistants
Despite their convenience, shopping assistants can still provide incorrect product information, such as outdated prices or incomplete product details. Sponsored listings can also influence which products receive greater visibility.
To avoid mistakes, shoppers should verify the final price, return policy, and exact model number before making a purchase. Reviews should also be checked separately, as copied or machine-written text can appear in product reviews.
A natural language processing tool can help detect fake reviews, but it should not be the sole deciding factor.
Protecting Personal Data
Personalized shopping assistants require users to share their preferences, searches, sizes, budgets, or purchase interests. However, shoppers should be cautious when uploading personal photos for virtual try-on features and check how long the service keeps their uploaded images.
For sensitive purchases, shoppers should limit unnecessary personal details in prompts and describe product requirements without sharing their full identity or personal history.
By letting shopping assistants gather options and explain important differences, shoppers can make more informed decisions. However, it’s essential to verify price, warranty, delivery terms, and return rules personally to avoid costly mistakes.
