[Survey] Over Half of Purchases Triggered by AI. Generative AI Penetrates Consumer Purchase Decisions | Generative AI Dialogue Purchase Behavior Survey 2026

PLAN-B Marketing Partners Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo / Nishi-ku, Osaka; Representative Director: Shinya Fujino), a company providing digital marketing support including SEO and LLMO, conducted the 'Generative AI Dialogue Purchase Behavior Survey 2026' targeting users who regularly use generative AI. The survey aimed to verify how information gathering through generative AI translates into actual purchases. As generative AI becomes more integrated into daily life and work, user information-gathering behavior is changing. Recently, users are increasingly relying on generative AI not just for simple information retrieval, but also for suggesting options, comparing products, and organizing conditions. Cases where AI dialogue directly influences purchase decisions are becoming more common. The company conducted a similar survey in June 2025. Considering that generative AI usage has expanded further over the past year, leading to changes in user behavior and purchasing patterns, this new survey was implemented to understand the extent to which AI is now driving decisions and to capture the latest trends. Survey Overview Generative AI Dialogue Purchase Behavior Survey 2026 Survey Period: May 11-16, 2026 Survey Subjects: 500 men and women in their teens to 60s who regularly use generative AI for searches. Survey Method: Internet questionnaire survey Survey Contractor: iBridge Co., Ltd. When citing the survey results or images from this article, please clearly state the name 'PLAN-B Marketing Partners Co., Ltd.' and include the following link as the source: https://www.plan-b.co.jp/news/ai_purchase_report_202606/ *Figures in graphs are rounded to the first decimal place, so totals may not equal 100%. *This survey is a follow-up to the 'Generative AI Dialogue Purchase Behavior Survey 2025' conducted last year. The previous year's survey can be viewed here: https://www.plan-b.co.jp/news/ai_purchase_report_202506/ *Please note that the sample sizes differ between the previous year and this year (2025: 150 people / 2026: 500 people). Also, as this is an independent sample survey via internet questionnaire, please treat year-over-year comparisons as reference values. About the Survey Subjects The proportion of users who answered that they 'regularly (several times a week or more) use generative AI for research' increased by 9.7 percentage points year-over-year, but still accounts for only 26.8% of the total, remaining below 30%. *Please note that this survey does not represent the proportion of the entire population. Survey Results ■ Over Half of Purchases and Destination Decisions Triggered by AI; AI-Driven Purchase Behavior Expands First, when asked, 'Have you ever decided to purchase a product/service or choose a destination based on a conversation with generative AI?', 54.1% (up 11.4pt YoY) said they had decided on a 'product purchase', and 50.4% (up 7.1pt YoY) said they had decided on a 'destination (travel, restaurant, etc.)'. Both figures increased from last year, exceeding the 50% mark. This indicates that generative AI is gaining more presence as a starting point for comparing products/services and making decisions. ▼Comparison data with last year Furthermore, as in the previous year, the experience rates for product purchases and destination decisions are at similar levels, suggesting that generative AI is being widely used for both goods consumption and experience consumption. ■ Top Product Categories Purchased: 'PCs/Smartphones', 'Apparel', 'Food' Regarding 'Products/services purchased through dialogue with generative AI' (multiple choice), 'PCs, smartphones, and peripherals' topped the list at 40.9%. This was followed by 'Clothing/apparel (including fashion accessories)' at 36.0% and 'Food and beverages (including supplements)' at 34.9%. 'Cosmetics, skincare, and hair care' also ranked high at 30.7%, consistent with last year. For categories requiring complex condition comparison, such as 'Home appliances' (25.4%) and 'Financial products (credit cards, securities, etc.)' (20.8%), over 20% of respondents made purchases through dialogue with generative AI. ▼Reference: Last year's (2025) survey results ■ Top Destinations Decided: 'Restaurants' and 'Travel Destinations' Remain High Regarding 'Destinations decided through dialogue with generative AI' (multiple choice), 'Restaurants (restaurants, cafes, izakaya, etc.)' was the highest at 66.7%, followed by 'Travel and accommodation' at 46.8%. Notably, 'Restaurants' was the highest among all categories, including product purchases, and increased by 9.8 percentage points from last year. This suggests that more users are leveraging generative AI to organize and compare candidates based on multiple conditions such as location, genre, budget, and reputation. ▼Reference: Last year's (2025) survey results ■ About 90% Conduct Additional Verification via Google Search; 'AI-Only' Information Gathering Persists from Last Year When asked 'What did you use besides generative AI to gather information, verify, or compare the products/services suggested/recommended by generative AI?', 'Search engines like Google' was the most common response at 87.4%. This was followed by 'Marketplace EC sites like Amazon' at 34.4% and 'SNS like Instagram' at 34.1%. Only 2.7% of respondents answered that they did not verify information outside of generative AI. This ratio remains largely unchanged from last year's survey, indicating that a habit has become established where many users use generative AI as an entry point for comparison but then conduct additional verification using search engines, SNS, and EC sites. Even as information gathering through generative AI increases, websites, SNS, and EC sites continue to play a crucial role as platforms for additional information gathering, comparison, and 'fact-checking' or 'final confirmation'. ■ Real AI Dialogue Examples as Starting Points of Purchase Journeys The survey also included questions about 'What kind of dialogue with generative AI led to the purchase of a product/service or the decision of a destination?' The responses reveal that product exploration via generative AI often starts from users' vague 'needs' or 'problems'. Below are excerpts from user responses regarding their dialogues with generative AI. [Financial Products (Credit Cards, Securities, etc.)] When selecting financial products, the user specified areas of interest and dividend payout ratios, further extracted stocks with good performance and low risk of dividend cuts, narrowed it down to three candidates, and then verified the accuracy of the information using Google searches and securities company pages.