Vendor reportSimilarweb (co-written with Statista), 2026
89% of AI shopping journeys also involve a regular search engine
Channel validation
Share of AI shopper journeys that also involve Search
| Journey type | Share of AI shopper journeys (%) |
|---|---|
| Use AI Only | 11% |
| Use AI & Search | 89% |
- Reader Note:
- The split is 89% of AI shopping journeys also using a search engine against 11% using AI alone. That 11% is the base for every AI-only figure in this report, so each AI-only comparison rests on a tenth of AI journeys.
- Evidence:
- Observed behaviour
- Vendor interest:
- Moderate — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
- Sample:
- Statista Consumer Insights: two surveys (Global Consumer Survey and Consumer Insights Pulse), ages 18-64, in US/UK/Germany. Respondent counts: US Global=60,356 / Pulse=7,326; UK Global=23,343 / Pulse=7,309; Germany Global=35,911 / Pulse=7,309. Statista Market Insights: bottom-up modelling using historical ARPU adjusted by country/segment-specific drivers (no respondent sample — modelled, not surveyed).
Good for
Comparing yourself against a similar segment, and choosing what to test next.
Not for
- Saying that one thing caused another, or predicting what you would get.
- This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
- The source never says how this number was measured.
- Nobody counted this directly — it's a calculation. The publisher worked it out itself, or took the ad platform's word for what its ads achieved.




