How AI shopping tests brand equity, and where it still wins Ask an AI tool to recommend a product and you won’t see what you would on a physical shelf: no logo, no packaging, no premium positioning at eye-level. Just specs, a rating, and a price: stripped of almost everything a brand spends years building. Which raises the question: Does brand equity still matter when AI does the shopping? We surveyed 3,600+ shoppers across the US, Europe, and Australia to find out, then asked retail expert Kiri Masters to read the results and share her own take. The clearest finding: When AI recommends several products, 65% of shoppers still click the brand they already know and trust first, more than double the number who click AI’s own “best match.” Whether you’re protecting an established brand, building trust for a newer one, or juggling both at once, this report shows what it takes to earn that click, and keep it. What’s inside: Where brand equity holds up once AI strips away logos and other traditional brand cues How big a discount it takes to make a loyal shopper switch, and how that varies by category What shoppers need before they’ll trust an unfamiliar, AI-recommended brand
