Global Amazon Shopper Report 2026: AI set to become integral for product searches

New York, 1st October 2026 – E-commerce continues to rise steadily: 84 per cent of consumers now shop online at least once a month (+5 percentage points when compared to 2025). Almost a third (29 per cent) shop online every week – an increase of 9 percentage points compared with the previous year, particularly pronounced in the UK and the US.

84 per cent shop online at least once a month, whilst 63 per cent use AI tools to research or compare products outside of Amazon.

This is revealed in the recently published study Global Amazon Shopper Report 2026, conducted by marketplace growth platform Remazing in collaboration with market research firm, Appinio. Since 2022, the annual study has been examining online shopping behaviour in Europe and the US. For this fifth edition, a total of 6,000 consumers (representative in terms of age and gender) in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US were surveyed in May 2026.

Higher spends on Amazon, with US and Germany leading the way

Amazon remains the go-to shopping destination: 75 per cent of respondents shop there at least once a month (+5 percentage points year-on-year), whilst 19 per cent do so weekly (an increase of 6 percentage points compared with 2025). At the same time, monthly spending is shifting noticeably towards higher price points: the proportion of shoppers spending less than 50 euros fell from 34 per cent in the previous year to 28 per cent.

In contrast, the group with budgets between 100 and 200 euros rose to 22 per cent (+3 percentage points year-on-year), whilst 13 per cent spend more than 200 euros a month. Americans are the most keen to spend, with 53 per cent spending the equivalent of 100 euros a month on Amazon, followed by German customers (41 per cent). France has the lowest monthly budget.

Despite these shifts in spending, price remains the main reason for visiting Amazon (52 per cent), followed by product research (43 per cent) and customer reviews (43 per cent).

AI tools are revolutionising pre-purchase product searches

Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of the customer journey: 63 per cent of respondents use AI tools when shopping online outside of Amazon. Of these, 43 per cent use AI specifically for research and product comparisons, whilst 20 per cent use AI tools to find direct product links and make purchases.

AI is also rapidly gaining importance on Amazon itself: awareness of Amazon’s AI shopping assistant, Rufus, has jumped by 19 percentage points, from 28 per cent in 2025. Rufus is increasingly shifting its focus from discovery to concrete purchase decisions: 51 per cent of users utilise the tool for product comparisons (+5 percentage points year-on-year), and 31 per cent for the final confirmation of a purchase (+5 percentage points year on year).

“If Rufus is to evolve into a comparison engine, content must win out in comparisons – it is no longer enough simply to be found. Brands must prioritise content that answers the questions ‘Why this product and not the other?’, rather than relying on generic brand storytelling,” emphasises Lara Wenskus, Content Director at Remazing.

Advertising perception and dynamics on alternative marketplaces

On Amazon, most product searches still begin with generic search terms (e.g. ‘lip balm’), whilst brand search terms and category navigation are growing in popularity. However, there is a need for greater awareness regarding the perception of search results: only 23 per cent of respondents correctly recognise that the top results are paid advertising placements. At the same time, 41 per cent of shoppers find Sponsored Products helpful, which highlights their seamless integration into the search results.

At the same time, alternative marketplaces are rapidly expanding their reach: the majority of consumers have already shopped at least once on Temu (59 per cent) or Shein (55 per cent). TikTok Shop has recorded the strongest relative growth: here, the proportion of buyers has risen from 12 per cent in 2025 to the current 31 per cent.

About the study

For the Global Amazon Shopper Report 2026, Remazing, in collaboration with Appinio, surveyed a total of 6,000 people aged between 16 and 65 in the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain in May 2026. The study is representative of each country in terms of age and gender. It examined general online shopping habits as well as purchasing, search and advertising behaviour, with a focus on Amazon.

About Appinio

Appinio is an AI-powered market research platform that enables companies worldwide to make informed decisions based on consumer insights in record time. Appinio operates in over 190 markets, employs around 250 people and is used by more than 3,000 companies. Headquartered in Hamburg, the company combines state-of-the-art technology with scientifically sound methods, making market research faster, more accessible and more data-driven than ever before.

About Remazing

The Remazing Group is an AI-powered marketplace growth platform for global consumer goods brands. The company combines proprietary software with more than 200 marketplace specialists and supports brands on Amazon and other online marketplaces across more than 30 international markets. Remazing is headquartered in Hamburg.