New NIQ & World Data Lab report reveals how AI, retail media, and social commerce are transforming the consumer purchase journey

Consumers are increasingly turning to new technologies to help navigate a more complex shopping landscape. Nearly three-quarters of shoppers now use AI for product discovery, while retail media has grown into a $184 billion global market. Together, these shifts are reshaping how products are discovered, evaluated, and ultimately purchased.

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AI is becoming the new gatekeeper of product discovery.

NIQ has released A Tale of Two Consumers: The Polarized Mindsets Reshaping Global Consumption, a new global report in collaboration with World Data Lab showing how artificial intelligence, retail media networks, and social commerce are transforming the path to purchase and influencing which products consumers ultimately buy.

The findings build on NIQ's recently released The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West, which identified the convergence of Eastern commerce innovation and Western retail media monetization as a defining force reshaping global retail. Together, the reports reveal a future in which commerce intelligence becomes essential for growth.

Key findings from these reports include:

Nearly 75% of shoppers use AI during product discovery
20% of consumers already use AI as part of the shopping process
Nearly one-third of Western consumers have purchased a product after discovering it on a social platform
Nearly 60% of APAC consumers shop through social and quick-commerce channels
68% of North American consumers have never purchased through social media

“Consumers are making purchasing decisions earlier and through more channels than ever before,” said Troy Treangen, Chief AI & Product Officer at NIQ. “AI-powered recommendations, retail media, and social commerce are increasingly influencing which products consumers discover, consider, and ultimately purchase, creating entirely new opportunities—and challenges—for brands.”

According to the report, AI-powered tools are increasingly helping consumers determine where to trade up, where to save, and which brands deserve consideration. The findings suggest that AI is becoming one of the most influential forces in modern commerce, as consumers have long relied on search, reviews, and word-of-mouth recommendations to guide purchases.

This shift creates both opportunities and challenges for manufacturers and retailers. As AI-powered recommendations become more personalized, discoverability is becoming a critical growth factor. Brands that fail to optimize product content, digital shelf presence, and visibility risk becoming less visible as AI agents and recommendation engines play a larger role in shopping journeys.

As consumers become increasingly selective about where they trade up and where they seek value, AI and retail media are helping brands identify which consumers are most likely to respond to premium messaging, promotions, and personalized offers. To learn more, visit niq.com/tale-of-two-consumers.

FAQs

What is A Tale of Two Consumers?

A Tale of Two Consumers: The Polarized Mindsets Reshaping Global Consumption is a global research report from NielsenIQ and World Data Lab that examines how consumer polarization, spending power, and evolving purchasing behaviors are reshaping retail and consumer goods markets worldwide.

What is the main finding about artificial intelligence and shopping?

Artificial intelligence is becoming a significant influence on product discovery, shopping decisions, and purchase journeys as consumers increasingly rely on AI-powered tools to evaluate products and recommendations.

How are consumers using AI during the shopping process?

Consumers are using AI to discover products, compare options, evaluate value, research purchases, and identify products that best meet their needs before making buying decisions.

What is retail media and why is it important?

Retail media refers to advertising and promotional opportunities offered by retailers across digital and physical retail platforms. It has become an important channel for influencing consumer purchasing decisions and driving measurable brand growth.

How is social commerce changing the path to purchase?

Social commerce allows consumers to discover, research, and purchase products directly through social platforms. This shortens the journey from discovery to transaction and creates new opportunities for brands to reach shoppers.

Why are AI-powered recommendations becoming more influential?

AI systems can personalize recommendations based on consumer preferences, shopping history, and behavior, making them increasingly important sources of product discovery and consideration.

What challenges do AI and digital commerce create for brands?

Brands must ensure product information, digital shelf content, availability, and online visibility are optimized for AI-powered search, recommendation engines, retail media platforms, and social commerce environments.

What does the report suggest about the future of commerce?

The report suggests that AI, retail media, and social commerce will continue to play a growing role in how consumers discover and purchase products, making commerce intelligence and digital visibility increasingly critical for growth.

About NIQ

NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ) is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete and trusted understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. By combining an unmatched global data footprint and granular consumer and retail measurement with decades of AI modeling expertise, NIQ builds decision systems that help companies turn complex data into confident action.

With operations in more than 90 countries, NIQ covers approximately 82% of the world’s population and more than $7.4 trillion in global consumer spend. Through cloud-based platforms, advanced analytics and AI-driven insights, NIQ delivers The Full View™—helping brands and retailers understand what consumers buy, why they buy it, and what to do next.

For more information, please visit www.niq.com.

© 2026 Nielsen Consumer LLC. All Rights Reserved.

About World Data Lab

World Data Lab is a data science company delivering projections of where global spending power and consumer demand are heading. By combining authoritative demographic and economic data with a proprietary, peer-reviewed forecasting methodology, World Data Lab converts long-term population and spending shifts into a single, forward-looking view of the future consumer, helping organizations identify where growth will emerge before it does.

Modeling consumer trends and demographic change through 2050, World Data Lab covers 99.5% of the world's population across 190+ countries, 9,000+ cities, and 200+ spending categories. Its core methodology, named by Nature among the 50 most influential papers of the decade, underpins both its enterprise platform, World Data Intelligence, and a suite of public tools including the World Poverty Clock.

For more information, visit worlddatalab.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding anticipated consumer behaviors, market trends, and industry developments. These statements reflect current expectations and projections based on available data, historical patterns, and various assumptions. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “believes,” “forecasts,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

These statements are not guarantees of future outcomes and are subject to inherent uncertainties, including changes in consumer preferences, economic conditions, technological advancements, and competitive dynamics. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. While we strive to base our insights on reliable data and sound methodologies, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances, except to the extent required by applicable law.

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Media Contact: media.relations@nielseniq.com

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