South African consumers are turning to artificial intelligence search as their primary tool for everyday problem-solving, including product research and price comparison. The findings come from the 2026 South African Customer Experience (CX) Report, which tracked the behavior of 2,000 people and 56 business leaders.
How people use AI tools
While 72% of consumers feel their financial position has either stagnated or deteriorated over the past year, AI search has given them access to detailed product and price information. This shift is evident in the numbers: nearly a quarter of consumers (23%) actively use AI tools like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity to compare products, find discounts, and answer general questions.
AI is no longer just a novelty for shoppers. It is becoming a front-facing decision-support tool. The report highlights that consumers are using these platforms to obtain practical guidance, writing support, and technical troubleshooting. They are also turning to AI for brainstorming gift ideas and interacting with customer service platforms.
According to the CX report, AI use is moving beyond simple information seeking into action. The next stage in the AI-assisted commercial transaction chain is called agentic commerce, where purchases or commercial actions are initiated, negotiated, or completed by an AI agent on behalf of a user or business, often with minimal human involvement. Some 67% of consumers say they would be comfortable with AI to fill a shopping cart, with 62% saying they would be comfortable to place a meal-delivery order online. Around half say they would hand over the reins to AI to book travel or even medical appointments.
On the other side of the customer journey, the report shows that when consumers need help solving a problem, one in four turns to AI for answers. However, just 7% of businesses recognise this, with a third (32%) still assuming customers would rather call a contact centre.
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This reliance on automation reflects a broader shift toward what is called “disciplined and strategic” consumerism in a constrained economic environment. Because consumers expect information to be available immediately and easy to understand, the quality of an organization’s digital footprint has become part of the customer experience itself.
The gap between expectation and reality
The findings mirror research from earlier this year, such as the SpendTrend26 report compiled by Discovery Bank and Visa, which found that 40% of surveyed South African shoppers are relying on AI tools on a weekly basis to guide their shopping decisions. The surge in adoption signals a shift in how purchasing behavior is evolving.
Despite this trend, the CX report reveals that three-quarters of the companies surveyed do not have an active strategy to manage how they appear in AI-generated answers. The report notes that while current and prospective customers want deals, discounts and value, they are using AI search before engaging with an actual brand or business.
AI is becoming an integral part of the daily routine for many shoppers. As digital footprints grow in importance, businesses face the challenge of adapting to this new reality where an algorithm might influence a purchase decision before a human ever sees the customer.
