What the Rise of GenAI Assistants Means for Retail Media

As AI-Led Shopping Accelerates, Retail Media Faces Disruption—and a Rare Opportunity for Reinvention

Report by Sarah Marzano  | UPDATED: Sep 16, 2025
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
GenAI assistants fundamentally reshape the path to purchase for shoppers who use them
GenAI assistants for shopping threaten to upend the foundation of RMN monetization
New shopping surfaces create an opportunity for RMNs
RMNs must develop defensive strategies for universal LLM assistants
Recommendations for RMNs
Recommendations for advertisers
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
AI shopping assistants are reshaping product discovery and threatening retail media’s search-driven model. RMNs and advertisers need to adjust strategies to protect their market position and seize the opportunity to turn disruption into growth.
Topics
Retail Media
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
GenAI assistants fundamentally reshape the path to purchase for shoppers who use them
GenAI assistants for shopping threaten to upend the foundation of RMN monetization
New shopping surfaces create an opportunity for RMNs
RMNs must develop defensive strategies for universal LLM assistants
Recommendations for RMNs
Recommendations for advertisers
Sources
Media Gallery

AI shopping assistants are reshaping product discovery and threatening retail media’s search-driven model. Retail media networks (RMNs) and advertisers need to adjust strategies to protect their market position and seize the opportunity to turn disruption into growth.

Key Question: How can RMNs and advertisers prepare for the rise of genAI shopping assistants?

Key Stat: GenAI users are more likely to prefer purchase recommendations from genAI platforms than they are from retailer’s and brand’s websites or apps.

Users Are Nearly Twice as Likely to Trust GenAI for Product Recs Over Retailer or Brand Sites/Apps, (% of generative AI (genAI) users worldwide, on their preferred source for purchase recommendations, Jan 2025)
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Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. GenAI assistants fundamentally reshape the path to purchase for shoppers who use them
  3. GenAI assistants for shopping threaten to upend the foundation of RMN monetization
  1. New shopping surfaces create an opportunity for RMNs
  2. RMNs must develop defensive strategies for universal LLM assistants
  3. Recommendations for RMNs
  1. Recommendations for advertisers
  2. Sources
  3. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Users Are Nearly Twice as Likely to Trust GenAI for Product Recs Over Retailer or Brand Sites/Apps, (% of generative AI (genAI) users worldwide, on their preferred source for purchase recommendations, Jan 2025)By 2029, Nearly Half of the US Population Will Be GenAI Users, (millions of US genAI users and % of population, 2025-2029)
Search Ads Make Up Well Over Half of Retail Media Ad Spending, (billions in US retail media search ad spending, % change, and % of total retail media ad spending, 2025-2029)How 3 Potential Paths for GenAI Shopping Assistants Could Disrupt Retail Media Networks

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First Published on Aug 15, 2025

authors

Sarah Marzano

Contributors

Suzy Davidkhanian
VP, Content
Vladimir Hanzlik
Executive Editor and SVP, Content
Erika Huber
Director, Report Editing
Penelope Lin
Director, Data Visualization
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Director, Reports Editor
Emma Noyes
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