PYMNTS surveyed 5,841 consumers and 1,185 merchants across the U.S., Brazil and the UAE and found that AI, mobile and payment choice are reshaping the shopping journey. Nearly half of online shoppers used AI in their latest purchase, but many merchants are still moving too slowly.

Inside the index:

• AI has become part of the shopping journey. Nearly half of online shoppers used AI for their latest purchase, and ChatGPT’s share as a product research tool jumped from 2% to 30% in two years.

• Mobile is now central to shopping. Consumers used mobile devices for 53% of purchases, and many now rely on phones to research products, compare prices, check reviews and pay in-store.

• Merchants are falling behind. Shoppers want features such as price matching, mobile product locators, digital coupons and more payment choices, but many retailers are not investing fast enough to meet that demand.