Nearly a quarter of U.S. shoppers have bought a product based on an AI recommendation. Of those, 46% returned an item in the past year. The top reason for returns was a mismatch with the product description. Size or fit issues were the second most common cause. Over half of shoppers have picked one retailer over another for its returns policy. Nearly a third stopped shopping at a retailer after it tightened its return rules. Gen Z shoppers were the most likely to buy via AI recommendations. Trust in AI recommendations remains low among most shoppers. Retailers’ product data may be the root cause of the mismatch. AI assistants rely on existing product information to make suggestions.

• 24% of U.S. consumers bought via AI recommendation
• 46% of those returned an item
• 36% returned due to mismatch with description
• 23% returned due to size or fit