Adapting to evolving consumer behavior, especially the rise of AI-driven search, is the most frequently cited challenge in media investment for September 2026

Buyer behaviour

Top media investment challenges cited by respondents, Sep '26

Top media investment challenges cited by respondents, Sep '26
Challenge	% of respondents
Adapting to evolving consumer behavior (e.g., AI-driven search)	44%
Low-quality, AI-generated content ("AI slop")	38%
Understanding agentic AI ad buying/execution	34%
Macroeconomic headwinds/uncertainty	33%
Demonstrating incrementality	31%
Understanding GenAI's use in media campaigns	31%
Media inflation	27%
Cross-channel media measurement	29%
Bots/agents outnumbering humans in web traffic	27%
Having enough 1P data for targeting	24%

Reader Note:: AI and consumer behavior shifts challenge investment decision-making.
Evidence:: Stated intention
Vendor interest:: Moderate — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:: Email survey of 211 U.S. buy-side ad investment decision-makers, primarily at agencies (52%) and brands (44%); fielded July 17-31, 2026.

Good for

Reading the mood, and deciding what to test yourself.

Predicting what people will actually do. Intentions and behaviour come apart.
This is an aggregated or average number that covers very different cases. Real results in a particular segment may differ.
This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
The source says how much it looked at, but not how any of it was chosen.

Gemini and ChatGPT lead AI shopping research in the U.S.; 64.0% of AI shoppers use two or more assistants

Share of AI shoppers using each AI assistant in the past 90 days
Assistant used in the past 90 days	Share of AI users (%)
Google Gemini	63.5%
ChatGPT	60%
Amazon's shopping assistant	27.5%
Walmart's shopping assistant	22.5%
Microsoft Copilot	22.4%

89.9%

of AI users on the online-shopper trend base said they verified the assistant’s recommendation before buying

60%–90%

of consumers’ value perception was explained by price perception across multiple subsectors in Deloitte’s regression analysis

Our Substack turns the data behind these cards into full breakdowns: what changed, why, and what to do about it.

38%

adoption increase in older populations after Dubai Smart ID used a calming tone and simpler biometric explanations in 2021

Only 36% of Gen Z call themselves price-conscious, vs 40% of Millennials, 45% of Gen X and 55% of Boomers

Share of each generation who describe themselves as price-conscious
Generation	Share who describe themselves as price-conscious (%)
Gen Z	36%
Millennials	40%
Gen X	45%
Baby Boomers	55%

86% of both Gen Z and Millennials say a smartphone is their most important device