Nearly eight in 10 commerce decision-makers — 79% — expect their primary customer base to be using AI tools in 2027, according to research published Sept. 16 by Northwestern University's Retail Analytics Council and Minty, an AI-powered shopping assistant maker. The findings signal that retailers are already changing where they put their marketing and advertising dollars as AI platforms gain influence over where and how customers shop online.

The report draws on responses from 150 senior commerce decision-makers at retailers, brand manufacturers and online marketplaces, according to Minty. Of those who answered, 98% came from companies with annual revenue above $100 million. The survey asked participants where they intend to spend their marketing budgets as they look ahead.

Cashback tools beat traditional channels

When analysts assessed which channels shoppers find most helpful, cashback apps, deal platforms and price-comparison tools outperformed traditional advertising, loyalty programs, retail media and creator marketing. In the survey results, 81% of participants checked cashback and savings tools as the most helpful form of marketing they saw shoppers using to make purchase decisions.

"This isn't marketers tweaking a line item," said Frank Dudley, associate director of the Retail Analytics Council at Northwestern University. "They're responding to a fundamental shift in how products are discovered and chosen."

Separate survey results from Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights in 2026 found that seeking better deals was the No. 1 reason shoppers used AI tools. Dudley sees marketing budgets following that shopping behavior as AI adoption proceeds.

"As consumers increasingly rely on AI to compare prices, evaluate alternatives, and maximize value, brands are reallocating investment toward the channels and capabilities that influence those decisions," he stated.

AI agents become a marketing target

Two-thirds of marketers surveyed said they believe AI will be the primary way they reach shoppers in 2027. More than half of those marketers are using AI in tandem with their savings offerings as a result.

Half of the marketers surveyed said they are marketing directly to AI agents. By comparison, only 18% anticipated that traditional search would be their primary means of reaching shoppers in 2027, and 13% said the same for social media channels.

Minty calls marketing to shoppers at the earliest stages of their journeys, when they are using AI agents, "proactive commerce."

"Buying decisions are moving earlier in the ecommerce purchase funnel," noted Rodney Mason, chief marketing officer at Minty. "Proactive commerce, delivering total-value-messaging to shoppers and their AI agents before they search, click or abandon a cart, is already being practiced by the largest market leaders and the majority of respondents intend to do so in 2027."

Budgets are already moving

The shift is not theoretical. Among marketers who target shoppers in these early research stages on AI platforms, 61% said they have either increased marketing spending or reallocated existing budgets toward cashback and savings apps.

For brands competing in AI-mediated discovery, the data points to a clear near-term test: reach shoppers and their AI agents with value messaging before the search begins, or cede the decision to competitors that already do.