How consumers browse and buy in 20261
3×
higher buying rates among shoppers that browse the most, underscoring the strong relationship between discovery activity and purchase behavior.
47%
of shoppers used AI in their most recent purchase journey, which shows just how fast AI has reshaped how consumers search, evaluate, and decide what to buy.
1/3
of consumers are already willing to let AI agents handle payments, suggesting growing comfort with delegating the full shopping journey.
The always-on shopper buys 3x more
The traditional funnel is dead. Instead of a linear journey, the modern shopper is always in-market. They’re active across browsing, buying, and in-store activity almost daily.
Frequent browsing is the strongest predictor of purchasing: shoppers who browse more buy 3x more across channels, per the report. This makes discovery, rather than checkout, the key moment of influence.
To serve this shopper, businesses can show up consistently across browsing moments and not just when a purchase is made. This often benefits
AI is replacing the search bar
Mobile has become the primary interface for commerce, powering most shopping journeys across digital and physical environments. And AI is replacing the search bar as the entry point on mobile for many of these journeys, the report found.
As a new layer in the shopping journey, AI is helping consumers search, compare products, and make decisions. This signals a shift in how purchase decisions are made – and an opportunity for merchants to tap into new revenues.
Some merchants aren’t keeping pace
The report found that the gap between what consumers want and what merchants deliver is widening—especially among the highest-value shoppers.
In fact, high-value shoppers were the most underserved by some merchants, with certain capabilities continuing to lag their expectations.
At the same time, some businesses are underinvesting in the foundational infrastructure to support the next phase of commerce. Closing these gaps can help businesses capture growth and competing for the AI-equipped, mobile-first shopper.
Get the reports
Register now to get access to the series of GDSI reports, which includes six reports released over the course of the next few months.
The 2026 GDSI: Global edition
The 2026 GDSI: Acquirer edition
The 2026 GDSI: Agentic edition (coming soon)
The 2026 GDSI: U.S. edition (coming soon)
The 2026 GDSI: U.A.E. edition (coming soon)
The 2026 GDSI: Brazil edition (coming soon)
Make payments your business advantage
Meet the demands of next-generation commerce with flexible solutions designed to support mobile-first, AI-driven, and always-on shopping experiences.
Digital acceptance
Accept a wide range of payment methods, including cards, wallets, and emerging alternative payment methods. Deliver consistent, flexible experiences that support how customers browse, decide, and buy today, whether online, in-app, or across connected environments.
In-person acceptance
Connect your in-store experiences and your physical checkout with digital journeys. Support mobile-assisted shopping, unified experiences, and consistent payment flows across every touchpoint.
Fraud management
Build trust in every transaction with tools designed to help reduce fraud and support secure, reliable payments across channels. Strengthen your ability to confidently approve more valid transactions while preparing for increasingly automated, AI-driven commerce.
Tokenization
Secure sensitive payment data with tokenization while helping to enable safer, more flexible transactions. Support the shift toward AI-driven commerce with secure, rule-based payment credentials designed for automated and machine-initiated transactions.
Disclaimer: Case studies, comparisons, statistics, research, and recommendations are provided “AS IS” and intended for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for operational, marketing, legal, technical, tax, financial, or other advice. Visa neither makes any warranty or representation as to the completeness or accuracy of the information within this document, nor assumes any liability or responsibility that may result from reliance on such information. The information contained herein is not intended as investment or legal advice, and readers are encouraged to seek the advice of a competent professional where such advice is required.