Who wins when AI does the shopping? McKinsey on agentic commerce

Shoppers have already brought AI along

McKinsey has just published one of the largest studies of agentic commerce to date, meaning AI that helps with or completes purchases on the consumer's behalf. In June 2026, around 21,000 consumers across 11 markets, including the US, the UK, Germany and France, answered how they use AI when they shop.

The conclusion is clear: AI is no longer an experiment in the customer journey. It has become one of the places where the purchase decision is made. Here are the key insights and what they mean for your webshop.

McKinsey Agentic Commerce Consumer Survey 2026

53%

of consumers have used AI for shopping in the past three months.

Around 21,000 consumers in 11 markets

10% → 17%US AI users who have completed a purchase with AI (vs. December 2025)

3.2xHow much more likely AI users are to rank AI search as more influential than search engines

c. 2xHigher conversion when AI searches hit structured product data (Shopify)

What the study shows

1. More than half shop with AI

On average, 53% of consumers have used AI for shopping in the past three months, to find products, compare options and get recommendations.

2. AI influences the purchase more than search engines

Nearly a third of AI shoppers say AI chat or AI search had the biggest influence on their recent purchase. AI users are 3.2 times more likely to rank AI search tools as more influential than traditional search engines.

3. More people let AI complete the purchase

In the US, the share of AI users who have completed a purchase directly with AI rose from 10% to 17% compared with December 2025, a 70% relative increase.

4. Structured product data converts better

According to Shopify, AI searches that hit a structured product catalogue convert at roughly twice the rate of searches relying on scraped or outdated data.

5. Shoppers use several AI tools at once

Nearly a quarter of AI users use an AI tool daily, and about one in ten use three or more every day. ChatGPT and Gemini are the most used stand-alone tools outside China. Visibility on one platform is not enough.

6. Apparel leads, grocery and beauty are catching up fast

Apparel is the category where the most purchases are already completed with AI, while grocery and beauty are catching up quickly.

What does it mean for your webshop?

McKinsey's advice to brands points the same way: it is about making the shortlist when AI makes its recommendations, and making it easy for AI to understand and use your products.

Make the AI shortlist

Visibility in AI answers is built on machine-readable content, strong product data and coverage from trusted sources. This is where SEO and GEO work together.

Make your product data machine-readable

Price, availability, delivery and product attributes must be accurate and structured, for example through schema and enriched product feeds. Otherwise AI may choose a competitor it understands better.

Keep measuring why you are recommended

AI agents never take a day off. Track where and why your brand is mentioned or left out, and keep optimising based on it.

Want to go deeper into what your webshop can do right now? Read Can AI find, understand and use your webshop?

Source: McKinsey & Company, Who wins when AI does the shopping? New evidence on agentic commerce, October 2026.

Where does your webshop stand today?

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