Retailers have spent years enhancing digital shopping capabilities.
Today, many merchants are evaluating which features still justify additional investment as artificial intelligence becomes a larger part of their technology plans.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Global Digital Shopping Index: The AI-Powered Shopper Has Arrived,” commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, found that AI is influencing more than how consumers shop. It is also changing how retailers allocate development resources.
AI shopping assistants are now the most frequently cited digital capability merchants plan to invest in during the next three years, selected by 37% of retailers, according to the report, which was based on surveys of 5,841 consumers and 1,185 merchants in the United States, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
The increase has coincided with reduced emphasis on several features that became standard components of digital commerce, such as merchant support for cross-channel shopping, stored payment methods and mobile apps. The changes do not necessarily mean that retailers are abandoning these capabilities. Instead, they suggest merchants are becoming more selective about where they devote development budgets and personnel.
As AI projects move higher on investment plans, other initiatives appear to be receiving less attention than they did a few years ago.
Nearly Half of Online Shoppers Now Use AI to Buy
The shifting allocation of resources reflects broader changes in consumer behavior. The report found that 47% of online shoppers used some form of AI during their most recent purchase. Consumers used AI to compare products, research purchases and gather product information before completing a transaction. Looking ahead, 64% said they expect to use AI shopping agents within two years.
The adoption rates help explain why retailers are placing greater emphasis on AI. Product discovery has long influenced purchasing decisions, and AI is becoming another point where merchants compete for consumer attention.
Which Digital Shopping Features Still Deserve Investment
The data also raised a practical question about digital commerce investment.
Retailers have historically measured progress by adding new capabilities. As AI becomes a larger priority, the focus shifts toward deciding which existing features require continued investment and which have reached a level of maturity where additional spending delivers diminishing returns.
Cross-channel shopping illustrated the shift. Merchant support declined nine percentage points even though consumer demand remained unchanged during the same period. Support for stored payment methods also declined while consumer demand continued to edge higher. Demand for mobile apps increased even as merchant investment moved in the opposite direction.
PYMNTS’ findings suggested that retailers are making decisions based on expected returns rather than attempting to expand every part of the digital shopping experience simultaneously.
The report also showed that consumer demand continues to exceed merchant availability for several established capabilities. Price matching represents the largest gap, with 61% of consumers expressing demand compared with 47% of merchants offering it. Mobile product locators, digital coupons, loyalty programs and free shipping also remain areas where consumer demand exceeds current merchant support.
The differences were particularly noticeable among shoppers who account for a significant share of digital commerce activity. Millennials, parents and high-income consumers continued to experience the largest gaps between the features they value and those merchants provide.
Although new capabilities may improve product discovery or customer engagement, shoppers still evaluate retailers on the convenience of completing purchases across digital and physical channels.
AI shopping assistants have become the leading area for future investment, while several established digital capabilities are receiving less emphasis. Whether that balance reflects changing consumer expectations or a lasting reallocation of limited technology resources will become clearer as retailers recalibrate their digital commerce strategies.
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