London, UK — Widespread adoption of AI in consumers’ buying journeys has now crossed the digital divide, influencing shoppers’ in-store spending, the latest study from the MACH Alliance, the community that champions best-of-breed commerce and innovation, shows.
Original research of over 1,000 UK consumers, commissioned ahead of MACH X: Amsterdam, showed that, with 67% of shoppers now using AI for search and discovery when buying online, rising to 92% of Millennials, the technology is having a growing role in shaping spending habits and purchasing decisions.
Over two fifths (42%) of digital spend is already informed by AI search, while the same proportion (41%) of online purchases is now being guided by agents. Additionally, over a third (35%) of social media buying decisions are also influenced by AI, rising to half (50%) of both Millennials and Gen Z.
Crossing the digital divide
And AI’s growing role doesn’t just stop at retailers’ ecommerce and social channels, increasingly it’s playing a greater driver in physical retail customer journeys.
42% of shoppers’ physical store spend is influenced by AI search – equalling the proportion of spend AI now shapes digitally. This rises even higher among younger shoppers, increasing to 62% of Gen Z’s store purchases.
This crossover is being furthered by growing use of AI wearables, especially among younger cohorts of customers. One in five (18%) Gen Z shoppers have also used AI-enabled wearables, such as Meta glasses, to inform physical purchasing decisions in the past 12 months – more than twice the level of adoption compared to the average shopper (8%).
“As AI becomes an influence layer across the entire customer journey, retailers can no longer view AI interoperability through the lens of ecommerce alone – it must span every touchpoint,” said Jason Cottrell, President of the MACH Alliance. “And this requires brands to build AI readiness across the whole commerce architecture, with the agility and composability to evolve as quickly as AI advancements move at pace.”
“The next challenge is making sure that the ecosystem works when multiple AI agents are involved in a single buying journey. Retailers need systems and data that can connect seamlessly with agents they may not own or control – and the flexibility to adapt as those interactions evolve,” Cottrell added.
Agentic adoption to grow +25% by 2027
With consumer adoption of multiple AI agents within buying journeys set to rise by +25% over the next 12 months (10% vs 8%) according to the MACH Alliance poll, the evolution of agentic commerce will be a central theme at its flagship European event, MACH X: Amsterdam, which takes place on 29 & 30 September 2026.
Delivering the opening keynote, grocery retailer Picnic’s Co-Founder & CTO, Daniel Gebler, will outline how it is driving agentic change within its organisation, using AI agents to discover, orchestrate and evolve its offering.
Gebler will be followed by Germany’s beauty retailer Flaconi’s CTO, Sven Roseman, who will discuss how the influx of AI is accelerating both its technology development and operational efficiency. Gebler and Roseman join other commerce leaders, including LOAF, H&M Group, Charles Tyrwhitt and easyJet holidays, who will speak at the event that connects retailers with composable innovators.
To find out more about MACH X, or to register for the event, visit: MACH X: Amsterdam.