What’s happening — AI-assisted shopping surges in the UK
- According to a report by PSE Consulting, nearly half of UK adults now use AI tools regularly — and ahead of Black Friday / Christmas 2025, about 22% say they plan to use AI tools to help with shopping. Among 18–34-year-olds, that rises to 42%. (Retail Times)
- Usage is not just for research — the same report says 85% of those planning to use AI say they would trust it to place orders and execute payments on their behalf. (Retail Times)
- Supporting this trend, a survey by marketing platform Omnisend found that 55% of UK consumers now use AI chatbots when shopping online. Within that group: 34% use AI for product research, 28% for product recommendations (like gift ideas), and 20% for finding the best deals. (Omnisend)
- Echoing those findings, research from KPMG UK shows that 15% of consumers overall, and 30% among 25–34-year-olds, will use AI chatbots (or AI‐powered search) to discover deals this Black Friday. (KPMG)
Bottom line: many UK shoppers — especially younger and digitally-savvy ones — are turning to AI as a core part of their Black Friday strategy, not just occasional support.
What “AI Shopping” Looks Like — From Research to Full Checkout
Based on recent studies and industry commentary:
- Product research & discovery: Shoppers ask AI chatbots to find deals, compare products, summarise reviews or suggest gift ideas. This replaces or supplements keyword-based Google searches or browsing. (Found)
- Automated shopping agents: Some users are willing to let AI handle buying — from selecting a good deal, to ordering, to checkout/payment. (Retail Times)
- Smart “deal-hunting”: With hundreds of items on sale, AI helps filter noise — saving time, surfacing deeper discounts, or bundling related items. (Outrank)
- Changing traffic patterns for retailers: Retailers are seeing growing “AI-bot traffic” as more users start via AI tools instead of traditional search engines or direct visits. (Found)
Retailers are adapting: many are optimizing their catalog metadata, product descriptions, and site structure to be more “AI-friendly” — so their products show up properly when AI tools query deals. (Found)
What the Data Shows — Key Figures & Trends
| Metric / Survey | Key Result |
|---|---|
| % UK consumers using AI chatbots for shopping (2025) | ~ 55% (Omnisend) |
| % planning to use AI for Black Friday / Xmas shopping | 22% (49% use AI regularly) (Retail Times) |
| % 18–34-year-olds planning AI-assisted shopping | 42% (Retail Times) |
| Trust in AI to complete payment / checkout | 85% of those planning to use AI this season (Retail Times) |
| AI users turning to AI for research, recommendations or deals | 34% for research, 28% for recommendations, 20% for deals (Omnisend survey) (Omnisend) |
These numbers show that AI-assisted shopping has rapidly moved from being a niche convenience to a mainstream behaviour — especially during high-demand periods like Black Friday.
What Experts, Retailers & Analysts Say — Key Commentary
- PSE Consulting: “What’s remarkable is how quickly AI has moved from novelty to an integral part of shopping.” They highlight the growing “AI-shopping confidence divide” — early adopters embracing AI for full shopping journeys, others still hesitant. (Retail Times)
- Retail and e-commerce analysts: They warn that retailers who don’t adapt to AI-driven discovery and purchasing (e.g. optimise metadata, integrate with AI shopping agents) risk being “invisible” during Black Friday — because many consumers may never reach a traditional storefront. (Found)
- Omnisend (e-commerce marketer): Notes that AI simplifies shopping for consumers: “AI has the potential to see past [retailers’] motivations” and help users find genuine value — but also emphasizes the need for retailer transparency (on prices, recommendations) to build and keep shopper trust. (Omnisend)
In sum: experts see this as a structural shift in how retail works — from human-driven shopping/search to AI-assisted, data-driven purchasing behaviour.
Challenges, Limitations & What to Watch
AI-assisted shopping isn’t without issues. Key challenges:
- Trust & accuracy concerns — in the Omnisend survey, a portion of respondents reported that AI recommendations were irrelevant or unhelpful; some still prefer human-led browsing or direct control over checkout. (Omnisend)
- Generational / demographic divide — older shoppers (55+) remain much less likely to use AI for shopping. (Retail Times)
- Retailer readiness & ethics — with AI-driven traffic rising, retailers must ensure their sites are optimised for AI discovery, avoid misleading pricing, and manage fairness, bias, and transparency (especially where AI personalisation is used). (Found)
- Dependence on data & privacy — as AI tools consume more personal preferences/data to give better recommendations, consumer privacy and data protection become more critical — mismanagement could erode trust. (arXiv)
What This Means for the Future of Shopping in the UK
- AI + retail = a new normal: AI-assisted shopping may become standard, not optional — especially among younger consumers. Traditional shopping habits and “search first, browse later” behaviour could shift permanently.
- Retailers must adapt or risk being sidelined: Optimising for AI discovery, building transparent recommendation systems, and supporting AI-driven workflows may become necessary for competing during major sale events.
- Potential for smarter, more personalised deals — but also higher stakes for privacy & trust: If used well, AI tools can help consumers find better value quickly; misused, they risk misleading shoppers or infringing privacy.
- Generational shift shaping decade-long trends: Younger, more digital-first shoppers are leading the change. As they age and gain purchasing power, AI-assisted shopping may dominate mainstream retail patterns in the UK.
- Here’s a set of case-studies and commentary showing how Black Friday 2025 in the UK is exemplifying a surge in AI-assisted shopping — who’s doing it, how, and what experts and critics are saying.
What we know — AI-assisted shopping this Black Friday
Broad usage of AI for shopping
- Recent research from PSE Consulting suggests that 49% of UK adults now use AI tools regularly (for information, recommendations, etc.). (PSE Consulting)
- In the lead-up to Black Friday and the Christmas season, PSE’s survey found 22% of UK adults plan to use AI for shopping — rising to 42% among 18–34-year-olds, showing that younger people are driving much of the adoption. (Retail Times)
- Importantly, among those planning to use AI, 85% said they trust AI tools enough to place orders and complete payments for them. That suggests AI is shifting from a “help-with-research” tool to a full shopping assistant. (PSE Consulting)
What AI-assisted shopping looks like in practice
- According to a report from Omnisend, 55% of British consumers now use generative-AI chatbots when shopping online. (Omnisend)
- Of that group: ~34% use AI for product research, 28% for product recommendations (e.g. help with gift ideas), and 20% to find the best deals. (Omnisend)
- Some shoppers say they now prefer AI recommendations over traditional search: in the Omnisend survey, 26% said AI (e.g. ChatGPT) gave better product recommendations than a typical search engine like Google; and 27% said AI made the experience less overwhelming. (Omnisend)
How AI is shaping retail & e-commerce behind the scenes
- According to insights from a digital-commerce agency, AI-driven traffic to retail websites has quadrupled (×4) in 2025 vs last year — signalling that many consumers now begin their shopping journey with AI tools, not search engines or browsing. (Found)
- AI-guided shopping doesn’t just influence product discovery — it’s also pushing growth in hybrid fulfilment models like “Click & Collect,” which saw a rise during Black Friday. (Outrank)
Case-Study Style Stories
Case Study A — Young, digital-first shoppers leaning on AI for Black Friday deals
- Profile: 18–34-year-olds, frequent AI-tool users, comfortable with automation.
- Behaviour: Use AI to research products, compare deals across retailers, get gift recommendations, and sometimes let AI complete the purchase and payment.
- What changes for them:
- Faster comparison across many retailers — AI reduces “deal-hunting fatigue.”
- Less time spent sifting through products; AI surfaces best-value offers or relevant matches.
- Lower friction: some are happy to let AI handle checkout if trust is high.
This aligns with the data showing 42% of 18-34 plan to use AI this season, and that majority of AI-users are open to agentic checkout. (PSE Consulting)
Case Study B — Retailers adapting to “AI-first” discovery and traffic
- Some retailers report big increases in referral traffic from AI tools: websites are receiving substantial “AI-bot traffic,” meaning that a growing share of visits begin from AI-based prompts or recommendations, not traditional search or marketing. (Found)
- As a result, retailers are re-thinking how they present product data: more structured metadata, clear specs, well-written descriptions — to ensure their products are “AI-friendly” (i.e. can be discovered and recommended by AI assistants). (Found)
- Many implement AI-augmented systems themselves — from chatbots on websites to dynamic pricing and real-time inventory management — helping them keep up with fast-changing demand during sale periods like Black Friday. (eCommerce Fastlane)
This shows how the supply side (retailers) and demand side (shoppers) are both shifting — creating a new ecosystem where AI shapes customer journeys end to end.
What Experts & Analysts Are Saying — Commentary & Debate
What’s positive
- According to PSE Consulting’s managing director, the rapid shift to AI-assisted shopping reflects an important milestone: AI is no longer just a novelty — it’s becoming part of everyday commerce. (PSE Consulting)
- For retailers, the integration of AI — especially for discovery, recommendations, and checkout flows — can help them reach a segment of savvy, convenience-oriented shoppers and potentially reduce cart abandonment. (Found)
- From a consumer point of view: many appreciate the convenience, speed, and amount of choice AI enables — especially during busy periods like Black Friday when deals are overwhelming. The fact that a good proportion say AI eased their decision-making points to growing trust. (Omnisend)
What critics & cautious observers warn about
- Privacy & security concerns: Even among AI-using shoppers, many express worry about how their data is stored or used, and about fraud or unauthorised purchases when AI is allowed to handle payment. (TechRepublic)
- Risk of over-automation / loss of control: Allowing AI to choose, pay, and order can lead to mistakes — wrong items, hidden fees, difficulty returning goods. Some consumers remain uneasy about handing over such control. (TechRepublic)
- Divide between early adopters and traditional shoppers: While younger, urban, tech-savvy shoppers move fast, many older or less digitally fluent shoppers remain sceptical — meaning retailers must continue supporting “classic” browsing and purchasing experiences as well. (PSE Consulting)
- Transparency & fairness concerns: Experts studying AI in retail warn that AI-driven marketing and recommendation systems may reinforce biases, hinder fairness (e.g. showing deals to some users but not others), or disadvantage consumers whose preferences don’t align with “mainstream” profiles — raising ethical concerns. (arXiv)
What’s Next — What to Watch in Coming Months
- Broader adoption: As trust builds and AI tools improve, expect AI-assisted shopping to become even more common — perhaps becoming the default for certain demographics (young, urban, tech-savvy).
- Retailer strategies will evolve: To succeed, retailers will increasingly need to be “AI-optimised” — not just SEO, but AI-discovery-friendly metadata, clear product info, seamless payment flows, and robust fraud/security safeguards.
- Regulation, transparency & ethics: As AI handles more of consumers’ choices and payments, issues like data privacy, algorithmic fairness, and buyer protection will gain attention — pushing regulators to catch up.
- Hybrid shopping experiences: Many consumers may mix AI-assisted online discovery with in-store pickup (Click & Collect), or combine human and AI decision-making — blending convenience with control.