Online shopping has come a long way in the last couple of years and shoppers are expressing their digital sophistication in the way they search. In our 2025 Commerce Relevance Report, 43% of respondents said they start looking for products at the retailer’s search bar, but they expect a lot more from search than a generic list of results. Shoppers want guidance tailored to the context of who they are, what they’re searching for, and where they happen to be in their buying journey.
Well more than half (62%) of respondents in our survey said they’re more likely to complete a purchase when AI helps them pinpoint exactly what they need. AI search achieves this with capabilities like natural language understanding, visual search recognition, and machine learning that uses real-time data to adapt as shoppers interact with products.
The traditional search-and-browse experience has given way to something more nuanced and customized. How could it not? Top tier shopping sites like Amazon and Walmart are deploying AI shopping assistants to cater to customers in various ways. These assistants serve the traditional role of search engines in that they help customers find products, but they’re also changing the way people approach and execute the entire online shopping journey. We have officially entered an era of AI shopping assistants.
Enter the GenAI Shopping Assistant Era
By enabling shoppers to engage in natural conversations tied to search functionality, AI shopping assistants have become virtual sales associates. They greet customers, answer questions, offer highly personalized and relevant advice, and connect shoppers to human agents when needed.
Shoppers, for their part, are ready for search to be more than a perfunctory tool. They’ve come to expect the kind of intelligent search capabilities that guides them to what they need and helps them discover products they’ll love. This is particularly true for conversational search. Of 4,000 respondents in our 2025 Commerce Relevance report:
- 69% expect GenAI to change how they shop online
- Digital natives have even higher expectations, with 88% of Gen Z and 83% of Millennials anticipating AI-guided shopping experiences
- 61% would use a virtual assistant for instant product answers
- 30% want AI to generate smart product guides for their specific buying situations
- 29% look to AI for education about product features before starting their shopping journey
While the underlying technology that powers search has become far more complex over the past few years, finding information and products online has become much easier for end users. Traditional keyword-based search is limited, forcing users to type exact terms, then sift through pages of results. But now that AI-powered search can interpret natural language and infer unasked questions, online shopping is much more intuitive.
Shoppers Want Clarity and Confidence, Not Clutter
Shoppers are clearly frustrated with rote search experiences which often leave them overwhelmed (and motivated to leave). In our survey, 70% of respondents said they’ve left a website due to poor product discovery. The top challenge shoppers faced was too many choices (33%), followed by difficulty finding what they want (30%). Third and fourth place both speak to the poor quality of the results (e.g., irrelevant product recommendations, errors, and slow response time).
GenAI mitigates these issues by dispensing with the overwhelming and impersonal product-results grid entirely. AI-powered search and discovery tools interpret natural language queries based on data and machine learning. This is how they understand true buying intent and can deliver much more meaningful results. For example, rather than showing all available laptops when someone searches “laptop for college student,” the AI considers factors like portability, battery life, and price point typical for students.
What sets Coveo apart is how our GenAI capabilities build trust through transparency. Our AI explains the recommendations it makes, drawing from verified products, content, and real-time shopping behavior. Human effort decreases as AI takes on the cognitive heavy lifting by using:
- Natural language processing and understanding to interpret needs based on conversational queries
- Predictive analytics and machine learning to anticipate follow-up questions
- Generative AI to synthesize and share results in a way that makes it easier for shoppers to quickly find what they need (even when they’re not quite sure how to ask for it)
GenAI Boosts Shopper Confidence
There are many ways GenAI increases shopper confidence, making people more likely to buy as they find what they need and trust in the process. GenAI does this by:
Embedding Relevance Where It Starts: The Search Bar
The search bar is where shopping journeys begin — and where GenAI can make the biggest impact. Instead of redirecting users to a separate chat window or interrupting their flow with a virtual assistant, embed relevance right where it’s needed. With GenAI integrated directly into the search experience, shoppers get intelligent, consistent guidance from the moment they start typing — whether they’re looking for inspiration, narrowing options, or ready to buy. It’s a seamless way to unify the journey without breaking it.
From Product Lists to In-Search Personal Shopper
With GenAI built into the search bar, your experience becomes more than a list of results, it becomes a conversation. Shoppers don’t need a separate assistant to guide them; the search itself understands intent, adapts in real time, and delivers personalized recommendations. A parent looking for toddler rainboots won’t see the same options as a landscaper shopping for work gear because relevance is built into the first keystroke.
Understanding, Not Processing
Shoppers don’t want to feel processed, they want to feel understood. When search feels intuitive, responding fluidly to natural questions, clarifying vague queries, and adapting in real time, it becomes a conversation without the need for conversation. That’s the difference between a search box that simply processes input and one that actually supports decision-making.
Real-Time Intent Recognition
GenAI adapts to real-time shopping behavior vs. traditional search systems that rely on static customer profiles. These systems produce intent-aware recommendations powered by real usage data. This keeps the buying journey relevant throughout the entire shopping session. It’s more intuitive for shoppers and it’s also a more responsive experience.
Building Trust in the Age of AI
Trust is the cornerstone of AI adoption in ecommerce, with 43% of shoppers in our survey saying they only trust AI-powered recommendations when they’re both personalized and transparent about how they were generated. This is a show and tell scenario. It’s just as important to explain why a product is being recommended as it is to show the searcher a list of products in the first place. For example: “We’re suggesting these hiking boots based on your interest in all-weather gear” or “Based on your search for waterproof materials…”
Keep in mind that privacy concerns vary significantly by generation. Younger shoppers are more open to sharing data for personalized survey, 79% of Baby Boomers and 85% of the Silent Generation limit data sharing to only what’s absolutely necessary.
To bridge this trust gap, retailers should:
- Prioritize transparency by clearly explaining how AI uses shopping behavior to make recommendations
- Offer intent-based personalization that doesn’t require personal data sharing or logins
- Make AI assistance optional, allowing shoppers to choose their level of engagement
- Demonstrate value before requesting information. You can do this by providing AI guidance without immediately requiring user information (e.g., session-based personalization)
Strive for balance by providing enough personalization to make recommendations valuable while respecting privacy boundaries. When shoppers understand how AI works in their interest, they’re more likely to embrace it as a helpful shopping companion rather than viewing it with skepticism.
The Future of Guided Shopping is GenAI-Driven
The results of our 2025 Commerce Relevance Report clearly demonstrate a fundamental shift in how people shop online. Shoppers believe digital experiences should match or exceed in-store shopping experiences, but confidence in current ecommerce capabilities is declining — dropping from 47% to 40% year over year.
This gap between expectation and reality creates an unprecedented opportunity for GenAI to step in and facilitate the kind of guided shopping experiences that customers crave. GenAI search has become the bridge between what shoppers want and what traditional ecommerce delivers in three important ways:
- It Makes Digital Spaces Feel Human: Traditional search engines required keywords and exact matches. Now we can interact with search tools in ways that are much more natural. And because GenAI search is equipped with the ability to understand intent and predict outcomes, it can provide highly relevant results quickly.
- It Solves the Discovery Dilemma: Our survey revealed that poor product discovery remains a persistent pain point for shoppers. GenAI addresses this by surfacing relevant suggestions even when a shoppers don’t clearly articulate what they’re looking for. GenAI systems can also help shoppers discover products by prioritizing product recommendations that match shopper intent and preferences.
- It Bridges Online and Offline Experiences: From a shopper’s perspective, the distinction between channels is irrelevant. Shopping happens across devices, channels, and touchpoints. While the journey might be fragmented, the experience must be seamless because shoppers now expect the same level of convenience, personalization, and value wherever they engage with a brand. GenAI helps stitch the journey together, creating a consistent experience across channels.
The future of ecommerce is focused on better search experiences and much more meaningful product discovery. By placing GenAI at the heart of the ecommerce shopping journey, you can finally deliver the speed, simplicity, and relevance that modern shoppers demand. The result is more confident buyers, stronger brand loyalty, and ecommerce shopping experiences that live up to high consumer expectations.