New Zealand shoppers turn to AI & social for research

IAB Australia and Pureprofile have released the Commerce & Discovery Report 2026 for New Zealand, finding that younger shoppers use a broader mix of digital channels to discover and research products.

AI tools, social media and creator content are now established parts of the online shopping journey in New Zealand, alongside search engines and retailer websites. The research also suggests cost-of-living pressure is prompting consumers to spend more time checking products, prices and reviews before buying.

Three-quarters of New Zealand online shoppers said rising costs had changed their retail choices and spending, while 76% said the cost of living had left them with less to spend on non-essential items. Among people aged 18 to 39, that figure rose to 80%.

Against that backdrop, 69% of shoppers said they rely on online research to feel confident before making a purchase. The findings suggest newer discovery channels are being used as additional sources of information rather than replacing traditional search and retail sites.

AI use

More than half of New Zealand online shoppers, 55%, said they use AI-powered tools or features at least sometimes when shopping. Among those aged 18 to 39, usage rose to 61%, with product questions and price comparisons among the main uses.

New Zealand consumers also appeared less trusting of AI recommendations than Australian shoppers. Among AI users, 76% said they use AI summaries for a quick answer before clicking through to a website for more detail, while 72% said they treat AI as one of several sources rather than the only one.

Live chat and virtual assistants also featured in the findings. Some 34% of New Zealand online shoppers said they had used live chat or a virtual assistant in an online retail store, rising to 44% among those aged 18 to 39. Use was strongest at the comparison stage before purchase.

Martin Filz, Chief Executive Officer of Pureprofile, said: "As the number of discovery channels continues to grow, trust has become even more important. The research shows New Zealand consumers are turning to AI, creators and social media to explore their options, but brands still need to earn confidence by delivering consistent, credible information wherever shoppers engage with them."

Social discovery

Social media has become a mainstream route for product discovery, research and comparison. The report found 67% of New Zealand online shoppers use social platforms this way, rising to 84% among people aged 18 to 39.

Creator and influencer content was another prominent channel. Nearly half of shoppers, 49%, said they often or sometimes discover brands through creators they follow on social media, video platforms and podcasts. Among those aged 18 to 29, that figure rose to 76%. The study also found 60% of under-40s had used creator or influencer content to discover, research or compare a purchase.

Tina Trenkner-Meade, IAB New Zealand Commerce Media Working Group Lead and Founder of commerce consultancy Signal & Light, framed the findings in the context of tighter household budgets.

"Kiwi shoppers are willing to do the work to ensure their dollar goes as far as it can. They'll scroll and stream through creator recs, and ask ChatGPT for a short list, but the shopping journey doesn't end there just yet. They're complementing research by searching online reviews and retail websites. The retailers winning are the ones ensuring their brand and product catalog show up consistently across every inspiration and discovery surface: online, in-store, social, video, AI. That consistency starts with writing and structuring descriptions and information that answers shopper questions in a way both humans and AI can understand," Trenkner-Meade said.

Search remains central

Despite the rise of newer tools, search engines and online stores remain the dominant sources for product research. The survey found 93% of New Zealand online shoppers typically use a search engine or online store to discover, research or compare a purchase, while 90% said their use of regular search results had increased or stayed the same over the past year.

Retailer websites were the most-used retail media touchpoint in the study. Some 89% of respondents said they often or sometimes read or looked at retailer websites during the shopping process.

The findings also indicate that many shoppers are open to more direct forms of commerce within digital media. Among online shoppers aged 18 to 49, 78% said they found some level of appeal in finding and buying without leaving a website or app, while 41% said they were interested in buying a product directly from a television advertisement.

The report also found a consistent preference for local ownership. More than half of New Zealand online shoppers, 56%, said they prefer to buy New Zealand-owned brands, with that view appearing across all age groups.

The New Zealand results form part of the third wave of the study in that market and are based on a nationally representative survey of 877 people aged 18 to 70 who had shopped online at least once in the previous 12 months. Across both countries covered by the study, the research surveyed 1,079 Australians and 877 New Zealanders.

Overall, the figures suggest that as discovery channels multiply, shoppers are extending rather than replacing their research habits, with search, retailer websites, social platforms, creator content and AI all playing a role in how purchases are assessed before money is spent.