Shoppers split the purchase journey between AI agents and marketplaces

The research, which surveyed 4,250 participants across the UK, US, France, and Germany, highlights a clear preference for independent AI assistants over tools embedded directly into retailer platforms. Only 10% of users express a desire for AI shopping tools housed within a specific merchant site, as shoppers prioritize the ability to compare prices across multiple providers. Price discovery serves as the primary catalyst for this behavior, effectively pushing the competitive frontier upstream before a consumer ever interacts with a brand’s own ecosystem.

Despite the shift in discovery, the role of traditional marketplaces remains largely unchallenged for the final stages of the journey. Roughly 90% of consumers expect their usage of these platforms to remain stable or increase as AI adoption continues to climb. Chris Jones, Managing Director at PSE Consulting, notes that consumers distinguish between discovery and execution, relying on established brands for fulfillment, logistics, and the security of a trusted payment environment. Rather than replacing marketplaces, embedded platform AI is positioned to complement independent agents by facilitating personalized recommendations and transaction completion once the initial search is complete.