According to the MACH Alliance, a recent study of over 1,000 UK consumers found that AI plays a significant role in shaping spending habits and purchasing decisions. The study shows that 67% of shoppers use AI for search and discovery when buying online, rising to 92% of Millennials.
The research showed that 42% of digital spend is informed by AI search, and 41% of online purchases are 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.
AI’s influence extends beyond ecommerce and social channels, with 42% of shoppers’ physical store spend influenced by AI search. This rises to 62% among Gen Z shoppers, who are more likely to use AI-enabled wearables to inform purchasing decisions.
One in five (18%) Gen Z shoppers have used AI-enabled wearables, such as Meta glasses, to inform physical purchasing decisions in the past 12 months. This is more than twice the level of adoption compared to the average shopper (8%).
Jason Cottrell, President of the MACH Alliance, noted that “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.” He also said that “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.”
Cottrell added that “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.”
The evolution of agentic commerce will be a central theme at the MACH Alliance’s flagship European event, MACH X: Amsterdam, which takes place on 29 & 30 September 2026. The event will feature keynote speakers, including Daniel Gebler, Co-Founder & CTO of Picnic, and Sven Roseman, CTO of Flaconi.
For more information about MACH X: Amsterdam, or to register for the event, visit: MACH X: Amsterdam.
