Age most significant indicator of AI use - retailers urged to be ‘AI agent ready’
London, UK, 9 July 2026 | New research released by dunnhumby shows how attitudes to AI chatbots and shopping agents varies by country with Ireland approaching twice the European average for AI-assisted grocery shopping activity.
The European study shows that the UK is one of the heaviest users of AI when it comes to shopping despite also being the most sceptical with 39% of Brits saying they do not trust AI. Meanwhile, Germany combines comparatively high AI usage with the highest trust levels as 33% of respondents there reported mostly or completely trusting AI.
Shopping habits resistant to change
AI-assisted grocery shopping remains primarily a younger consumer behaviour rather than a mass-market habit, according to the research. Almost a quarter (24%) of 18–34-year-olds across Europe have engaged with AI powered tools with only 4% of those surveyed over the age of 55 saying the same. However, 48% of consumers aged 55+ trust AI "somewhat", while only 10% trust it mostly or completely, showing that routine and a need to demonstrate practical value may be holding back greater adoption. Younger shoppers are entering grocery shopping with AI increasingly already in their digital lives, while older consumers remain substantially more sceptical. The research confirms that price comparison is the most popular use of AI for shoppers (47%), while finding out more about products or ingredients came second with 31% using the technology for this purpose. Identifying personalised products was the third most common reason for shoppers to use AI tools like Chat GPT, with 26% of those surveyed using AI for this purpose.
Sandra Stanley, Chief Data Science Officer, dunnhumby: “This research shows that the new era of shopping is underway with loyalty needing to be earned both from the customer as well as the AI agent acting on their behalf. For retailers, the core fundamentals remain key to not falling behind in this space and that means clean, connected and well governed data, building responsible frameworks and driving AI literacy across the organisation so that teams understand and can act on opportunities.” The research provides a snapshot of AI adoption in grocery shopping with AI being used as an addition to existing web-based search methods rather than as an end-end shopping solution. For the majority of shoppers, AI is not yet part of the shopping routine, highlighting the need to develop everyday solutions that fit seamlessly into the shopper experience.
