Survey of 1,000 U.S. adults who regularly use AI for search and shopping finds 41.6% start product searches with AI, 71.3% use AI to find deals, and 81% expect AI to change how they shop
VANCOUVER, BC / October 6, 2026 / Snipp Interactive Inc. (“Snipp” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: SPN; OTCPK: SNIPF) today released AI and the Modern Shopper Journey, a new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults who regularly use AI-powered tools for search and shopping. The research finds that AI is moving beyond product research to influence product discovery, comparison, promotions, and purchase decisions.
Nearly two-thirds (61.8%) of respondents have purchased a product after receiving an AI recommendation, while 71.3% have asked an AI assistant to find a promotion, discount, coupon or deal. The survey was conducted online in September 2026 and included regular users of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Perplexity.
“Consumers are increasingly turning to AI to help them discover products, compare options and make purchase decisions,” said Atul Sabharwal, CEO of Snipp. “What’s changing is not simply where people search, but the role AI plays in the journey from consideration to purchase. The data shows that AI is already influencing those decisions for a meaningful share of regular AI users.”
Key findings
61.8% have purchased a product after receiving an AI recommendation, while another 25.9% say they would consider doing so.
83.6% have used AI to discover a product, brand or service they were previously unaware of.
41.6% say an AI assistant is one of the places they typically start a product search, compared with 71.6% for traditional search engines and 45.1% for Amazon or another retailer.
58.1% use AI to compare products, making comparisons the most common shopping use measured in the survey.
71.3% have asked AI to find a promotion, discount, coupon or deal, while 63.2% say AI has saved them money on a purchase.
39.4% say they would be more likely to try new brands if AI consistently helped them find better products, prices or promotions.
85.3% trust AI-generated product recommendations at least somewhat, but 69.2% are concerned that recommendations could be influenced by brands, retailers, advertising or paid placements.
81% expect AI to at least moderately change the way they shop over the next two to three years.
Traditional search remains the most common starting point for product research, but AI has established a significant role. Among regular AI users surveyed, 41.6% say an AI assistant such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude is one of the places they typically start a product search. AI was selected more often than brand websites, social media, YouTube, and in-store search.
AI is also introducing shoppers to unfamiliar products. More than eight in ten respondents (83.6%) have used AI to discover a product, brand, or service they were previously unaware of.
The survey found that 61.8% of regular AI users have already purchased a product after receiving an AI recommendation. Another 25.9% have not yet done so but say they would consider it.
Comparison is the most common shopping use of AI, with 58.1% using AI to compare products. Respondents also use AI to compare prices, find product recommendations, discover deals and promotions, research product features, and discover new products and brands.
Deal seeking is another significant use of AI. More than seven in ten respondents (71.3%) have asked AI to find a promotion, discount, coupon or deal, and 63.2% say AI has saved them money on a purchase.
Looking ahead, finding better prices and promotions is the most commonly selected future shopping use of AI, cited by 58.6% of respondents.
The research also points to potential changes in how consumers evaluate brands. Nearly four in ten respondents (39.4%) say they would be more likely to try new brands if AI consistently helped them find better products, prices, and promotions. Another 32.1% say they would switch from a brand they normally buy if AI found a better price or promotion elsewhere.
The survey findings build on Snipp’s September 14, 2026, announcement of its $nipp ChatGPT Plugin and $nipp Connector for Claude, which extended Snipp’s promotions, rebates, rewards and loyalty infrastructure into AI-powered conversations. The new research provides consumer-level evidence for the behavior underlying that expansion: shoppers are already turning to AI to discover products, compare options, find value, and make purchase decisions.
Discovery is changing. Products and offers increasingly need to be structured so AI systems can understand, compare and recommend them, not simply rank them in traditional search.
Value is becoming part of discovery. Product recommendations and promotional discovery are increasingly converging as shoppers ask AI to help them find both the right product and the best value.
Measurement is getting harder. AI may influence discovery, comparison and offer selection while the eventual transaction takes place somewhere else, such as a retailer's website, marketplace, app or physical store.
“For marketers, this creates a new discoverability challenge,” said Ritika Garg, Chief Marketing Officer of Snipp. “Brands have spent years optimizing how they appear in search and across retail channels. They now need to think about how their products, promotions and loyalty programs show up when consumers ask AI what to buy, where to find it and how to get the best value.”
AI and the Modern Shopper Journey examines how regular AI users are incorporating artificial intelligence into product discovery, comparison shopping, promotions, purchase decisions and brand loyalty.
Read the full 2026 survey report →
Methodology
Snipp surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults who regularly use AI-powered tools or assistants for search and shopping in September 2026. Respondents were users of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Perplexity at least a few times per month. Respondents who rarely or never use AI for search and shopping were screened out.
The findings represent the behaviors and attitudes of regular AI users rather than the U.S. adult population as a whole. Generational, gender, and income comparisons are based on self-reported demographic information collected by the survey panel.
Snipp Interactive Inc. (TSX-V:SPN)(OTC PINK:SNIPF) is a leading AI-powered value-added SaaS company in the global loyalty and promotions sector. Snipp helps brands drive actions, prove performance, and unlock insights across consumer and channel marketing strategies by connecting promotions, sweepstakes, offers, rebates, rewards, loyalty, and media programs directly to verified purchases.
Snipp's modular platform enables Fortune 500 brands, agencies, and partners to run both short-term and always-on programs at scale, transforming engagement into proven outcomes and owned first-party intelligence that powers meaningful, measurable growth. Snipp's AI-powered receipt and transaction validation capabilities have become an industry standard, enabling accurate, retailer-agnostic measurement.
Snipp is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with a presence across the United States, Canada, Ireland, Europe, and India. Snipp is publicly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada and is also quoted on the OTC Pink marketplace under the symbol SNIPF. For more information, visit Snipp's website at www.snipp.com and its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
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Snipp Interactive Inc.
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