Today, Walmart released its Retail Rewired Report — a deep dive into how technology is reshaping the way people shop and how retailers respond. This year’s report studied the seismic shift in the retail landscape driven by AI, including agentic AI, a new wave of AI that can take actions on behalf of customers.
Far from being a mere novelty or trend, AI has evolved into an indispensable utility, fundamentally altering how consumers shop and how retailers meet their expectations. This year’s report brought to light how AI has become an invisible but indispensable layer of the shopping journey — one that’s practical, efficient and increasingly trusted.
The new face of influence: AI
One of the most striking takeaways from this year’s report: When making shopping decisions, the trust gap between AI-based recommendations and influencer endorsements is much smaller than anticipated: 27% of respondents prefer AI suggestions to those from influencers (24%), signaling a turning point for AI.
While influencers offer aspirational value, AI delivers something many consumers find actionable: utility. Specifically, what shoppers look for from AI today is not the pie-in-the-sky, cutting-edge applications that we often envision. They value practical functionalities — simple, effective solutions that solve real problems.
The report showed shoppers today use it to compare prices, shipping times and availability, receive alerts on price drops for items they’ve viewed or added to their wish list, and narrow down options based on historical preferences. In other words, AI is winning hearts not through hype, but through helpfulness.
Speed is a top priority, and AI is stepping up to meet the demand
Time is the most valuable currency, playing a critical factor in consumers’ shopping journeys. A significant 69% of respondents said the speed of the entire shopping experience when deciding where to shop was either very important or somewhat important.
As AI continues to improve the way we discover, shop and receive products, while also supporting trust, privacy and security, it’s becoming a more seamless part of the shopping experience. In the future, it may feel less like using a tool and more like getting help from a trusted friend.
Privacy, speed and control: what shoppers really want from AI
The report also revealed a fascinating dichotomy: although many consumers self-identify as late adopters of technology, they frequently interact with emerging tech, often unknowingly. Despite limited familiarity, there’s a growing comfort with AI, tempered with a degree of caution and skepticism.
With this in mind, the following four findings stood out:
- Traditional search methods still reign supreme: Despite advances in AI and GenAI shopping tools, the majority of shoppers still initiate their searches by manually typing into a traditional search bar. Social is the second most common method. In other words, AI has ground to cover before it becomes the default entry point.
- Trust in AI varies by product category: From our research, shoppers are more comfortable using digital assistants for lower stakes purchases like household essentials. But when it comes to big-ticket or emotionally significant items — furniture or food/groceries — AI hits a trust barrier. This tells me these are decisions where people still crave a human touch, sensory validation and deeper assurance.
- AI can recommend — but not replace — human decision-making: Shoppers aren’t ready to fully surrender to AI shopping assistants. There is a strong desire for human-in-the-loop systems where human oversight and control is maintained. In fact, 46% of respondents said they were either somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to use a digital assistant or agent to handle an entire shopping trip for them. To me, the preference is clear: AI can help guide, but shoppers want to be the ones clicking “buy.”
- Privacy and security concerns: The promise of AI is only as strong as the trust that supports it. Consumers are increasingly aware of how their data is used — and they want more control over it. Here’s what matters most to them:
- 27% of respondents want clear transparency around data use and third-party involvement.
- 26% of respondents want to control what data is shared, with clear privacy settings.
- 25% of respondents want only the minimum amount of data collected, avoiding the storing of sensitive personal information is avoided.
AI holds a lot of promise in transforming the retail landscape, but only if we don’t lose sight of what consumers want: convenience without compromise, speed without risk, personalization with control and consent.
This is why our Digital Citizenship team is critical. Technology and shopping habits evolve, but this team shows how our purpose and values stay the same, regardless of where our customers are shopping.
The next era of retail won’t be defined by AI for its own sake. It will be defined by how well AI serves real human needs. And we’re just getting started.
