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**When Your Shopping Cart Gets a Brain**

5h ago · 4 sources · trend

AI is no longer a pilot project. It is quietly moving into the cart, the checkout, and the marketing war room.

In the United States, 42% of consumers have used AI tools to shop within the past month, according to NielsenIQ. About 17% use AI for product recommendations. Another 10% treat it like a shopping assistant. 19% lean on AI-powered subscriptions or auto-replenishment. Yet only 5% have let a fully autonomous AI agent actually complete a purchase. Translation, shoppers want help, not a robot holding the credit card.

Perception is shifting fast. Mintel data shows 48% of US consumers believe AI makes it easier to shop online. In China, 68% say AI-based health solutions like assessments are trustworthy.

The health angle matters. A systematic review covering 16 studies and 10,863 participants found several AI-driven nutrition interventions improved short-term glycemic control, weight reduction, and symptom severity. AI is not just recommending snacks. It is shaping how people manage their bodies.

Brands are reacting. Hershey built an AI-powered marketing system trained on three years of sales and marketing data. It now evaluates performance monthly instead of updating its model three times a year. It can measure all brands with active campaigns, versus closely tracking around five each year before.

Why it matters. AI is becoming both the shopper and the shelf. Consumers are open to guidance but cautious about surrendering control. CPG winners will design for that middle ground, where algorithms inform the choice but humans still click buy.

Key facts

  • Data from Mintel shows that 48% of consumers in the US believe AI makes it easier to shop for products online.
  • According to the Mintel China Health Tech Market Report 2023, 68% of Chinese consumers feel health solutions based on AI, such as health assessments, are trustworthy.
  • A systematic review of AI-based nutritional interventions identified 16 studies involving 10,863 participants, with several trials reporting short-term improvements in glycemic control, weight reduction, and symptom severity.
  • US consumers are increasingly using AI for shopping, with 42% having used AI tools to shop within the past month, according to NielsenIQ.
  • NielsenIQ found that 17% of consumers use AI for product recommendations, 10% use AI as a shopping assistant, 10% have used a voice assistant to purchase or reorder products, and 19% use AI-powered subscription or auto-replenishment features.
  • Only 5% of respondents reported purchasing items via a fully autonomous AI agent, suggesting limited willingness to fully delegate purchasing decisions.
  • Hershey developed an AI-powered marketing measurement and decision-making system trained on three years of sales and marketing data to improve speed and relevance of advertising spend decisions.
  • Hershey will use the AI system to evaluate marketing performance monthly instead of updating its marketing mix model three times a year as it had previously.
  • Hershey’s new system will measure all brands with active advertising campaigns in its portfolio, compared to closely measuring around five each year previously.
  • 48%
  • 68%
  • 16 studies
  • 10,863 participants
  • 42%
  • 17%
  • 10%
  • 19%

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