Consumer Behavior

AI has consumers rethinking recommended buy when website fall short

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September 11, 2026

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Nearly all shoppers (97%) will reconsider an AI-recommended purchase if the brand's website falls short, while two-thirds say they trust AI more than social media when evaluating an unfamiliar brand. Those are among the key findings from a Contentsquare research report, which also found that 47% of consumers say AI has changed their minds about which brand to buy.

The findings suggest AI is gaining "real influence" over consumer purchase decisions, but that influence can quickly unravel when a brand's website fails to meet expectations, according to a press release about the report.

"As companies pour money into AEO and GEO to make their brands visible to AI, the next question is: what happens after the AI sends the customer your way?" Jean-Christophe Pitié, CMO of Contentsquare, said in the release. "Visibility only creates value if it converts or drives loyalty, translates into action, and that ROI ultimately lives in conversion. If the experience that follows is slow, confusing or frustrating, no amount of AI-driven discoverability will deliver the return businesses expect. The companies closing that gap are the ones building customer confidence through great end-to-end experiences."

Just over a third of shoppers, 36%, report AI has replaced traditional search engines for at least some shopping activities:

53% use it to find the best price or idea.
52% use it to compare products.
29% use it to discover new brands.

Contentsquare surveyed 2,000 consumers across the U.S. and France about use of AI for online shopping, brand discovery and consideration, purchase decisions, agentic commerce and digital experiences.