Research reveals that in the fashion retail sector, a majority of consumers (66%) still prefer online shopping. The primary drivers include: easy access to stores and product discovery (62%), greater ease in finding new brands and products (52%), and most critically—convenience (80%).
1. Quickly Locating Target Products Remains a Critical Challenge in Digital Retail
Generational divides significantly shape online shopping preferences. Specifically:
- Gen Z leans toward product discovery via social media (56%).
- Millennials favor browsing major retail sites like Walmart and Target (46%).
- Gen X relies more on search engines like Google to explore new products (41%).
Preferences for social platforms also vary sharply across generations:
- Gen Z favors TikTok (54%) as their top channel, followed by Instagram (29%).
- Millennials slightly prefer Instagram (39%) over TikTok (32%).
- Gen X shows balanced usage across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
As the report notes, “Social media’s core function revolves around content discovery—not information retrieval, and certainly not direct purchasing.”
This makes AI-powered search optimization a pivotal opportunity for retailers to meet consumer needs.
The study highlights that 84% of consumers typically require up to six searches to find their desired item. While frustration persists, shoppers exhibit remarkable persistence:
- 65% will attempt 4–9 searches before abandoning their quest, with Gen X most likely to quit after three attempts.
- Gen Z demonstrates the greatest patience, presenting retailers with a clear avenue to refine search functionality.
Notably, 40% of respondents have already used next-gen AI search tools during online shopping. Early adopters are disproportionately “avid shoppers”—70% of whom leverage AI search, compared to just 35% of casual shoppers.
2. AI Delivers Measurable Performance Gains for Retailers
Retailers fully integrating AI into workflows report tangible uplifts, including:
- Impressions: +2% to +18%
- Conversion rates: +3% to +25%
- Sales growth: +2% to +24%
“Next-generation AI levels the playing field,” enabling businesses of all sizes to boost product visibility, enhance search relevance, and deliver personalization at scale. Retailers adopting AI can better align with consumer demand—serving the right product at the right moment to accelerate discovery, strengthen brand engagement, and drive conversions.
While AI hype exists, its capacity to generate real, measurable outcomes is undeniable—often exceeding expectations in speed and impact.
